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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777839">While You Were Sleeping</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HAKDurbin/pseuds/HAKDurbin'>HAKDurbin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:53:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>58,748</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HAKDurbin/pseuds/HAKDurbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lonely transit worker Serena pulls her longtime crush from being run over by a train. At the hospital, doctors report that he's in a coma, and a misplaced comment from Serena causes her crush's family to assume that she is his fiancee. When Serena doesn't correct them, the family takes her in and she begins to love being a part of a big, loving family. Things get even more complicated when she finds herself falling for her crush's brother, Ash.</p><p>Based on the 1995 romantic comedy film of the same name starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, and Peter Boyle</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Satoshi | Ash Ketchum &amp; Serena</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Serena Yvonne was always a hopeless romantic. Ever since she was a little girl, she dreamed of the perfect man to spend her life with. A handsome, funny, smart man who is always there to make her feel loved. Of course, having him being a big hugger and a good kisser wouldn't hurt either. Where many women in Lumiose City, the Kalos region's capital, dreamed of staying in the city to live in beautiful apartments or houses with their husbands, Serena wanted a man who would transform her lonely, boring life into one of adventure. A man who would give her the chance to travel beyond Lumiose City or even Kalos if possible. Her dream to travel was the only dream that she desired as much as she wanted love, but in the five years since she got her passport, it has been kept inside her nightstand drawer with no stamps on it. <br/>Of course, Serena didn't decide that she wanted either of her dreams out of the blue. Her father, Chandler Yvonne, was as much of a hopeless romantic as she was, Lord rest his soul. Throughout her childhood, Serena only knew her mother, Grace Yvonne, from the stories her father would happily tell her like a priest preaching the word of the Lord. Chandler talked about all the adventures he had with Grace and when he cheered her on during her Rhyhorn races. This passionate man was Serena's whole world, and she wanted nothing more than to travel with her special someone just like he did.<br/>But in the years since her father's passing, Serena's hopes of finding love and seeing the world began to fade away. She only makes enough money as a token fare conductor to make ends meet while living in her second-floor apartment. Her only friends are her co-worker, Shauna, who works in the same token booth as her, her boss, Iris, her landlord, Mr. Walken, and her Pokemon partner, Fennekin. Most of the time, when she's outside of her apartment, she kept her head down to shyly hide her face with her shoulder-length honey blonde hair whenever she saw an attractive guy. Whether it was one of the guys paying the fare at the station Serena works at or someone she saw passing by on the street, she would look down, feeling nervous to even look at a guy for longer than a couple of seconds.<br/>But out of all of them, there was one man, in particular, that Serena had a special crush on. Every day this man in a fine business suit would be taking a train from her station, and he would always pay for the fare at her window. Serena had no idea who he was. All she knew was whenever she saw him tossing a token into the slot on her booth; she would have a moment to look into his dark blue eyes, his shiny black hair that reached to his shoulders just like hers, and a friendly smile on his well-formed face. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat, and she smiled back while her cheeks turned red as her crush got on the train. After she had that moment, her mind would be focused on him, daydreaming about who he is, what's his job, whether or not he has a Pokemon, and how amazing it would be if he was the one. At the very least, she wanted a chance to strike a conversation with him that would lead to learning his name.<br/>That's what was on her mind on the morning of Christmas Eve when she was decorating her Christmas tree. She was hanging up ornaments and putting on lights with her Fennekin, both having a fun time together. Still, while she was hanging decorations, she imagined her crush decorating the tree with her and Fennekin, wearing a vermillion sweater and having a cute Pokemon of his own to help them like a Skitty, or a Vulpix, or better yet, an Eevee. The thought made Serena giggle with her mouth closed as Fennekin picked up the Christmas star with its mouth, and she lifted the fox Pokemon up so that it could place the star on top of the tree.<br/>"Just look at it, Fennekin," Serena said as she took a few steps back to look at the tree. "It's the prettiest tree we've had yet."<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said happily.<br/>Serena smiled at her Pokemon before turning to a picture of a cheerful man hanging on the wall and said, "I wish you could see this, Daddy. We outdid ourselves this time."<br/>The honey blonde woman's smile turned into a frown as she became lost in thought about her father. Fennekin noticed her sudden change in demeanor and licked one of her hands holding it to cheer her up. Serena looked down to give the fox Pokemon an appreciative smile before hugging it tightly. The two of them enjoy their moment of silence until they hear a beeping sound. <br/>"The cookies are done," Serena said. <br/>She walked to the kitchen, put Fennekin down on top of the dining table, and took out a tray of Christmas cookies from the oven. The two of them then began decorating the cookies with frosting and sprinkles before Serena put them in plastic bags. It was a quarter till nine when they were done, and Serena let out a sigh before turning to her Pokemon. <br/>"Looks like I better get going if I want to drop off Mr. Walken's treats before heading to work," she said. <br/>"Fen," Fennekin said with a nod. <br/>Serena walked to her bedroom, where she put on her winter coat and hat and grabbed her purse before coming back to put the bags of cookies inside her purse. Then, she walked to the front door with Fennekin following her where she put on her snow boots before turning to her Pokemon.<br/>"Alright, be a good girl while I'm gone, Fennekin," Serena said.<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin replied with a smile as Serena went out the door and closed it behind her. <br/>Serena walked down the steps to the apartment building's bottom floor and turned to the door on the left side of the entryway. She knocked on the door and waited until the door opened to reveal a balding, chubby man in his late fifties standing in front of her with an Emolga on his shoulder. <br/>"Ah, Serena," the man greeted with a smile that was hidden by his bushy mustache. "To what do I own the visit from my favorite person from the second-floor?"<br/>Serena shook her head, amused with the compliment, before she opened her purse and took out one of the bags of cookies.<br/>"Merry Christmas, Mr. Walken," she said. <br/>The Emolga's eyes widened before it excitedly hopped out of its partner's shoulders to snatch the bag off of Serena's hands and glide back to the landlord. Mr. Walken gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Aw, Serena, you didn't have to do that."<br/>"I know, but I wanted to," Serena said, smiling. "Besides, Christmas is tomorrow, and I'm on my way to work anyway."<br/>"Aw, bless your heart," Mr. Walken said. "Would you like to say hi to Tierno before you go?"<br/>Serena winced, and her smile disappeared as she slowly backed away."<br/>Oh, no, thank you," she answered while stepping back.. "I really should -"<br/>"Hey, Pop," said a voice coming from inside Mr. Walken's apartment. <br/>Serena groaned as a heavy-set guy around her age walked toward Mr. Walken with a headset on his head and a Squirtle walking beside him. The guy was air drumming as he listened to the music on his headset with a cheerful smile.<br/>"Have you seen my tool belt anywhere?" He asked.<br/>"Yes, Tierno. You left it under the dining table again," Mr. Walken answered.<br/>Tierno gave his father a thumbs up before noticing Serena and gave her a smile that made her more uncomfortable.<br/>"Wassup, Serena?" He said. <br/>"Good morning, Tierno," Serena said politely. "Off to work on your dad's truck again?"<br/>"Dontcha know it?" Tierno replied. "You're looking extra hot this morning."<br/>Mr. Walken frowned and slapped Tierno upside the head.<br/>"Tierno, that's no way to talk to a woman," he rebuked. "She's a person, not a cup of coffee."<br/>"Aw, come on, Pop. It's true," Tierno said, rubbing the back of his head.<br/>"Just grab your stuff and get to work," Mr. Walken commanded.<br/>"Alright, alright. Sheesh," Tierno said. "Let's go, Squirtle."<br/>"Squirt, Squirtle," Squirtle said. <br/>Serena mentally thanked the Lord as Tierno walked away with his partner. Mr. Walken shook his head as he watched his son walk to the dining room at the end of the hall before turning to the honey blonde woman. <br/>"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with him saying slang like that," he said.<br/>Serena smiled at Mr. Walken, thankful that he had more sense than his son. The older man sighed before he scratched the back of his head and gave the Emolga on his shoulder a concerned look before turning back to Serena.<br/>"Listen, Serena, I was wondering if you can do me a favor," he said. "I know Tierno's not the most charming boy in the neighborhood, but he means well. Maybe you could take him out to coffee or something?"<br/>Serena frowned and looked past Mr. Walken's shoulder, where Tierno was bending down to pick up his tool belt, his shirt coming up to show more of his back than she ever wanted to see. She bit her lip to keep herself from showing disgust in front of her landlord and politely shook her head. <br/>"Are you sure?" Mr. Walken asked. "I could lower your rent."<br/>"Sorry, Mr. Walken, but I'm not interested," Serena said. "Besides, we both know you can't stand the idea of anyone not paying the full rent."<br/>Mr. Walken opened his mouth to protest until he thought about it and shrugged, saying, "Yeah, you're right. I just want my boy to find somebody. Plus, y'know, you're a nice girl, and he's been crushing on you since you started living here."<br/>"I know," Serena said. "Anyway, I better get going. Merry Christmas."<br/>"Merry Christmas, Serena," Mr. Walken said as Serena exited the building. <br/>When she was finally outside, Serena ran until she was on the other side of the block. Then, she stopped and let out a sigh of relief, glad to not be around Tierno. <br/>"Why is the one guy that is interested in me the last guy on Earth I want to be around?" She asked herself. <br/>After a moment to groan over her predicament, Serena collected herself and started walking down the street. She looked up to look at the gray sky above Lumiose City, wondering if it's going to snow in time for Christmas. Serena rubbed her hands as she headed to her destination, wishing she thought of putting on gloves. Finally, she made her way to a bridge that led to the train station, where there was a churro stand on the other side. Wanting to grab breakfast before going to work, Serena waited in line for several minutes until she could place her order to the old man running the food stand with his Vanillite. <br/>Before she could open her purse to pay for her breakfast, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder. and turned her head to see a skinny woman in her thirties whose head reached Serena's eyes. She had tan skin, brown eyes, and knee-length, puffy purple hair kept in a substantial loose ponytail. She was wearing a cream-colored coat and a pink winter hat, and an Axew was riding inside her hair. The woman gave Serena a proud smile as she took out a couple of dollars and handed it to the older man.<br/>"Breakfast is on me today, Mickey," she said.<br/>Serena and the man named Mickey looked at the woman as if she said random words. After a moment, Mickey took the money and handed a small tray of churros to Serena. The honey blonde woman thanked Mickey before turning to the tan woman with the Axew with a suspicious look.<br/>"Good morning, Iris, Axew," she greeted before taking a bite of her breakfast. <br/>"Axew," Axew replied.<br/>"Good morning? That's it? No thank you for paying for your breakfast?" Iris asked appalled. "Is that any way to act in front of your loving boss?"<br/>Serena rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you, Iris. Now, why did you pay for my food?"<br/>Iris grinned and rolled up a newspaper she had on her other hand and said, "Oh, I just thought it would be a nice thing to do before making the announcement."<br/>"Announcement? For what?" Serena asked.<br/>Instead of a reply, Iris turned to Mickey, his Vanillite, and the people and Pokemon in line, and clapped her hands.<br/>"Excuse me, could I have your attention, please?" She called out.<br/>Everyone turned to Iris, Axew, and Serena, making the honey blonde woman blush and lower her head to hide her face with her hair. Iris cleared her throat and started tapping Serena's shoulders with his rolled-up newspaper as if she's knighting her.<br/>"As this woman's employer, it gives me, Iris Joslyn Siskel, great pleasure to announce that I have recommended my employee, Serena Judith Yvonne, for Employee of the Month this Christmas," Iris declared proudly. <br/>Everyone stared at the tan woman as though she was raving like a lunatic before they clapped awkwardly. Serena's blush grew, and she walked away, embarrassed with Iris following her and Axew holding on to her hair.<br/>"Hey, hey, hey. Where are you going?" Iris asked.<br/>Serena turned to her boss and asked, "What in the world was that? There's no Employee of the Month."<br/>"Of course, there is. I even have the recommendation paper right here," Iris said as she took out a piece of paper from her coat pocket and cleared her throat again. "Supervisor Iris Siskel nominates Serena Yvonne for Employee of the Month."<br/>Serena looked at her boss, befuddled that her boss was backing up her claim.<br/>"Serena is never tardy, and she works on holidays," Iris read out loud. "Just because she worked on Thanksgiving, Serena is willing to work on Christmas too."<br/>Iris gave Serena a pleading look as she read the last sentence. Serena frowned as it became obvious what her boss was up to. She turned to Axew, who shook its head, sharing her disapproval. <br/>"I'm not working on Christmas, Iris," Serena said.<br/>"Aw, come on," Iris said. "There are benefits to becoming Employee of the Month on Christmas. You'll get a nice plaque with Mayor Lysandre's stamp on it.."<br/>"I didn't vote for him," Serena said. <br/>"Er, well, neither did I, but you get to ride on a float on St. Patrick's Day parade," Iris said.<br/>"I don't like parades," Serena said.<br/>"Did I mention extra holiday pay?"<br/>"I don't care."<br/>Iris sighed and looked at Serena seriously as she said, "Look, Brooke is sick, Jeseray can't switch shifts because she's got a big family thing, and I promised Cilan that I would be home this year for when we give Maynor his Pokemon partner."<br/>"Oh yeah? What did you get him?" Serena asked.<br/>"A Dratini," Iris said. "We're thinking about letting him go on his Pokemon journey after New Year's."<br/>Serena smiled, happy that Iris' son would become a Pokemon trainer, but her smile disappeared as she thought about how she's Iris' only option for who needs to work on Christmas. Iris and Axew looked at each other sadly before Iris sighed. <br/>"Look, I know it isn't fair, and I can't make you do it," she said. "If you'd rather spend Christmas with your Fennekin, it's okay. It's just that you're the only one…"<br/>"Who doesn't have a family," Serena finished. <br/>Iris flinched, regretting that she brought the matter up. She scratched the back of her head and said, "Look, I'll figure something out. Maybe if you like I could -"<br/>"No, no, it's fine," Serena interrupted. "I mean, Fennekin and I are mostly just going to make treats and watch holiday movies together, and that can wait until later tomorrow night."<br/>"Are you sure?" Iris asked. <br/>"Yeah, it's fine," Serena lied. <br/>Iris gave the honey blonde girl a sad smile, which Serena returned before her eyes widened. <br/>"Oh, speaking of treats, these are for you and the family," she said as she reached into her purse and took out one of her bags of Christmas cookies.<br/>Iris smiled as she took the bag and said, "Thank you. I know we're going to love them."<br/>"You always say that when I give you sweets for your family," Serena said.<br/>"And it's always true," Iris said. "Cilan and Maynor can't get enough of your sweets. Isn't that right, Axew?"<br/>"Axew," Axew said, nodding.<br/>Serena smiled and said, "Well, I better get going and finish my breakfast before clocking in."<br/>"Of course," Iris said. "Work hard, Serena."<br/>Serena rolled her eyes as she walked away and called out, "I'm a token fare conductor, Iris. There's nothing hard about my job."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>**************************************************************************************</p>
<p>Shortly after finishing her breakfast, Serena clocked in for work and went into her collector booth, where Shauna was waiting for her. After giving Shauna her final bag of Christmas cookies, much to her friend's delight, the two of them quietly collected fare from people about to board the train with their Pokemon. Just like Serena said to Iris, there was nothing hard about their jobs as they just sat down and collected coins before letting the passengers in. <br/>However, Serena and Shauna were overwhelmed by the number of customers they had to handle. Countless people went last-minute Christmas shopping with their Pokemon carrying a bunch of their shopping bags or holding them up in the air with their psychic powers. By one in the afternoon, the rush died down, so the women could take turns going on their lunch break, with Shauna going first.<br/>Serena sighed in relief, happy to have a moment of peace while, at the same time, dreading how there would likely be another rush later that night. As she rested her head on her hand, a couple got off one of the trains. The man had a bald head and a short brown beard wearing glasses, while the woman had long, curly maroon hair. The woman was hugging the man's arm tightly and rested her head on his shoulder while the man had his hand on one of her arms as they walked. Serena watched the pair exit the platform sadly, wishing she could experience such  affection with someone special. The poor honey-blonde woman was so lost in her daydream that she didn't notice someone sliding a token into her slot.<br/>"Hi."<br/>Serena turned her head, and her eyes widened at the sight of the handsome man in the business suit. Had she paid attention, she would have watched her crush walking toward her booth to make the most of his presence, but she was so unprepared that her heart jumped at the sight of him suddenly so close to her. Her mouth hung open as the man gave her a friendly smile. <br/>"Merry Christmas," he said.<br/>Serena tried to utter a response, but all she let out was a quiet, "Uh-uh-wait," as he entered the platform. The honey blonde woman groaned and hit her head with both hands.<br/>"Two years, Serena," she said to herself. "Two years he's been taking the train, always inserting a token in your window. He finally speaks to you, and you don't say a word? There are so many things you could have said. 'Hi.' 'Nice coat.' 'Merry Christmas to you too.' 'You're beautiful.' 'Do you want to meet my Fennekin?' 'Will you marry me?' 'I love you.'"<br/>Serena whined childishly and rested her head on her hand again as she watched the man wait for the train, ashamed of herself. But as she mentally beat herself up, a man wearing a long black coat and a hat that covered his face and a Weavile walked over to the man Serena crushed. The suspicious man placed his hand by her crush's shoulder and forced him to turn around while the Weavile pointed its sharp claws at him. Serena gasped as her crush realized that the man and his Pokemon were about to mug him. Before she could think of something to do, her crush kicked the Weavile and got ready to run while he had a chance to escape. Unfortunately, the other man put his arm around Serena's crush and pushed him back only for her crush to accidentally step so far back that he fell into the train tracks.<br/>Serena gasped again loudly while the man and his Weavile ran away. She burst out of her booth and hurried to where she saw her crush fall. Luckily for him, his head missed the rails, but it did land on the hardwood floor between the rails, knocking him out cold. Serena looked around for help, but there wasn't a soul in sight. She hesitated before she carefully got down on the tracks and kneeled to her crush's side.<br/>"Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Can you get up?" She asked, shaking his coat. <br/>The man stayed motionless. Serena leaned into the man's face to check if he was still breathing. She felt a small amount of air from his mouth, and she sighed in relief. She then felt a whiff of the man's expensive cologne and smiled bashfully. For a moment, she forgot about the situation and stroked the man's face, wondering what he did for a living to be able to buy a cologne that made him smell so good, but then she heard a loud horn, and she looked up to see a train coming towards her and her crush.<br/>"Oh, no!" She shouted as she started shaking her crush even more. "Mister! Mister, wake up! There's a train coming right towards us! Mister, you gotta wake up, please!"<br/>No matter what Serena did, the man didn't move a muscle. Serena became terrified as the train grew closer to the station. Even if the train driver could see them, there was nothing he could do about it. The train wasn't going to stop until it was on the platform for passengers to get off. Left with no other choice, Serena pulled the man by the coat with all of her might, screaming until she lifted him up, causing them to roll off the tracks and into the spot under the edge of the platform just before the train hit them. <br/>With both of them safe, Serena let out a sigh and rested her head on her crush's chest. She didn't mind her cheeks heating up from lying on top of the man of her dreams. There was little space to move while the train was trapping them, and the important thing was that he was alive. Serena heard a groan, and she lifted her head to see her crush's head moving. His eyes slowly opened to see her only inches apart from his face. Serena smiled as her ocean blue eyes stared into his dark blue ones, and she said the first thing she wanted to say to him from the moment she first saw him.<br/>"Hi."<br/>The man did nothing but look at her until he lost consciousness again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time the train left, allowing Serena to get out from under the edge of the platform, Shauna had come back from her lunch. She called 911 before helping Serena and the unconscious man off the tracks. Within fifteen minutes, an ambulance arrived and took the unconscious man to the nearest hospital. It wasn't long after the ambulance left that Iris and Axew came and found out what happened. Eager to find out if her crush was going to be okay, Serena convinced Iris to let her have the rest of the day off so that she could go to the hospital. She wasted no time to clock out and head to the hospital as fast as she could until she was at the reception desk at the front entrance.<br/>"Excuse me," she began. "There was a guy brought in here not long ago. He was picked up from the Thom Avenue station."<br/>"What's his name?" The receptionist asked.<br/>"Uh, I don't know his name," Serena admitted.<br/>"You don't know his name?" The receptionist questioned.<br/>Serena scratched the back of her head and said, "Well, the thing is I -"<br/>But as she tried to explain herself, she saw the entrance to the emergency room behind the reception desk, where she could see her crush being rolled away on a stretcher by a Wigglytuff through the glass doors. Serena ran to the doors, ignoring the receptionist calling out to her, and she burst through the doors only to have a doctor step in front of her.<br/>"Excuse me, ma'am, but I need you to stay behind the doors," he said. <br/>"No, please, you don't understand," Serena pleaded. "I want to see -"<br/>"Are you family?" The doctor questioned.<br/>"Well, no, but -" Serena said.<br/>"Then you can't come in. Only family is allowed," the doctor said. "Please stay in the waiting room."<br/>"No, please wait," Serena begged before the doctor closed the door in front of her. <br/>Serena moaned as she watched the doctor and the Wigglytuff roll her crush away until they were out of sight. She rested her forehead on the glass door, disappointed that she couldn't see him. She hoped that if she was there when he woke up and he learned that she saved him, they might get to know each other and he would fall in love with her. A beautiful story where the woman bravely rescues her man. The hopeless romantic woman sighed, thinking she lost her one chance of getting together with her true love.<br/>"I was going to marry him," she groaned.<br/>With her head hung low, Serena walked to the waiting room and slumped onto a chair. She felt like a fool for thinking she could come in and expect to see her crush when she didn't even know his name. She considered going back to work until she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see a nurse with pink hair smiling at her.<br/>"Excuse me, ma'am. I can get you to see him," she said. <br/>Serena's eyes lit up, and she jumped from her seat with a look of hope. <br/>"Really? You can do that?" She asked.<br/>"Absolutely," the nurse said. "I'll just go check and see when they're done running tests on him, and I'll take you right to his room."<br/>"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Serena cried out before spontaneously hugging the nurse. <br/>"My pleasure," the nurse chuckled. "I'm Joy, by the way."<br/>"I'm Serena," Serena said. <br/>"Pleased to meet you," Joy said. "I heard he fell off the train tracks, and somebody saved him from getting run over. Was that you?"<br/>Serena looked away shyly, and said, "Yeah, it was."<br/>"That is so brave," Joy said. "It sounded like you could have been run over too."<br/>"Well, I guess it was pretty dangerous when you say it like that," Serena said. "Either way, I'm glad he's okay."<br/>Joy's smile grew, and she said, "I'm sure he'll be fine. I'll go check on him while they're running their tests."<br/>"Thank you so much," Serena said before Joy went into the emergency room.</p><p> </p><p>**********************************************************************************</p><p>Serena waited for an hour until Joy came back and said that they were done testing her crush. The nurse took her to the ICU, where the man laid on a hospital bed in one of the rooms. Joy set up a chair next to the bed for Serena, and the honey blonde woman looked at the unconscious man with a smile while Joy stood next to her.<br/>"Why don't you talk to him, Serena," Joy suggested. "It helps if he hears your voice?"<br/>Serena turned to the nurse with her cheeks turning pink, unprepared with the idea of talking to her crush. Joy smiled and said, "I'll leave you two alone," before she walked out of the room. Serena felt even more nervous; however, when it hit her that it was just her alone in a room with the man of her dreams. She didn't know what to do when she never had a conversation with him before, but then she considered taking the moment as an opportunity to practice talking to him without freezing at the sight of his handsome face. Serena slowly placed her hand on top of his and smiled with her cheeks turning pink to red.<br/>"Hi," she said. "I'm glad that you're okay."<br/>She paused for a moment, imagining he said, "Thank you."<br/>"I was really worried," Serena continued. "When that guy and that Weavile were trying to mug you, and you fell into the tracks, I was really scared."<br/>Again, she paused, pretending he was saying something like, "I'm alright, honey," and "I'm sorry you were frightened." Maybe he would even say, "Did you see the way I kicked that Weavile? The little weasel didn't see it coming." Serena giggled at the thought before her face turned serious again.<br/>"Everything's going to be okay," she said. <br/>She imagined the man giving her a captivating smile and saying, "I know it is. I'll get better before you know it. You'll see."<br/>Serena smiled again and started rubbing her crush's hand with her thumb. Unbeknownst to her, Joy was standing outside behind the glass wall in the room, watching Serena talking to the unconscious man, unable to hear what she's saying. She had a blissful look on her face until she heard someone say her name.<br/>"Joy."<br/>She turned around and saw a woman with teal hair wearing a police uniform. Joy smiled and said, "Hey, Jenny. What brings you here?"<br/>"I'm investigating what happened at Thom Avenue station," Jenny answered before noticing Serena sitting next to the man through the glass wall. "Is that the woman who saved that man's life?"<br/>"Yup. That's the one," Joy said. "She risked her life to keep him from getting run over."<br/>"Wow, That's really brave," Jenny said.<br/>"That's what I said," Joy said. "And it gets even better. She's his fiancee."<br/>"Whoa, really?" Jenny asked.<br/>"Really, really," Joy replied. "I overheard her saying that she's going to marry him. She was really bummed that Dr. Schmitt wouldn't let her in the emergency room because she isn't family, so I decided to bring her here after they did their tests."<br/>"Aw, how sweet," Jenny said. <br/>"I know, right?" Joy said. "She loves him so much that she's willing to risk her life to save him. It's so romantic."<br/>The two women placed their hands on their cheeks with blissful smiles on their faces. Meanwhile, Serena was lost in her little world, imagining that she was together with the man. After debating with herself, she gave in to the temptation to place the man's hand on her cheek and imagined him caressing it, making the nurse and the officer simultaneously say, "Aw!" They kept watching Serena for half a moment until Jenny cleared her throat. <br/>"Well, I hate to disturb her, but I do need to ask her some questions," she said.<br/>Jenny nodded in understanding before Jenny entered the room and cleared her throat again to catch Serena's attention. The honey blonde girl squeaked in alarm and put the man's hand down, hoping the officer didn't notice, but her action only amused Jenny more, thinking she was embarrassed to be holding her fiance's hand like that. Jenny took a moment to hide a giggle before she took off her hat.<br/>"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I need to ask you some questions," she said. <br/>"Oh, yes, of course," Serena replied as she got off her seat.<br/>"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Jenny said. <br/>"Well, I was sitting in the token fare booth when I saw this man and Weavile approach him," Serena said. "The man was wearing a long black coat and a hat. The Weavile was threatening him with its claws, and so he kicked it and tried to escape, only for the man to grab him and push him back. That's when he got too close to the railing and fell into the tracks."<br/>"What were you doing inside the token fare booth?" Jenny asked.<br/>"I work there," Serena answered.<br/>Jenny looked at the honey blonde woman confused, wondering why the man's fiance would be inside the booth instead of with him. She mentally shrugged it off, figuring he must have dropped by to say hi to his bride-to-be before taking the train. <br/>"Did you get a look at the man?" She asked.<br/>"No, I didn't," Serena answered. "His hat covered too much of his face."<br/>"That's okay," Jenny said with a smile. "We'll do everything we can to find these thugs, ma'am."<br/>"Thank you," Serena said, smiling back.<br/>"Where is he?!"<br/>Serena and Jenny turned around to see five people, a Mr. Mime and a Piplup, heading their way. Leading the group was a doctor in his thirties with short brown hair. Behind him was a woman in her forties with auburn hair tied to a ponytail, looking frantic with worry. Behind her was a woman in her early twenties with long blue hair, caring the Piplup with the Mr. Mime walking next to her. At the back was a bald, hunching man in his seventies with a spikey white beard and a woman in her forties with her peach hair tied to a side ponytail.<br/>"Where is he?! Where's my Cay-Cay?!" The auburn-haired woman cried out.<br/>"He's right here, Mrs. Ketchum," the doctor said calmly as he led the group into the room.<br/>The auburn-haired woman went in and gasped in shock at the sight of Serena's crush. Tears were running down her face as she rushed over to his side. The rest of the group came in with their worried looks as they huddled around the bed. <br/>"Oh, Calem, my boy," the auburn-haired woman cried. <br/>"Mime, Mime," the Mr. Mime said with a frown.<br/>"Calem," Serena thought with a smile. "What a charming name."<br/>"He looks so pale," the blunette woman said. <br/>"Piplup," the Piplup in her arms said.<br/>"Is he okay, Dr. Proctor?" The peach-haired woman asked. <br/>"I'm afraid he's in a coma," Dr. Proctor answered.<br/>The auburn-haired woman cried louder than before, wailing, "My Calem is in a coma on Christmas Eve? Oh, Mimey."<br/>The Mr. Mime nicknamed Mimey patted the poor woman on her back and handed her a handkerchief. Serena frowned, wishing there was something she could do to comfort her while Dr. Proctor spoke again.<br/>"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum. It's not that bad," he said. "His vitals are strong, and his brain waves are good. I think Calem is going to get through this. It's just a matter of when he wakes up."<br/>Calem's mother briefly smiled through her tears before she asked, "How did this happen?"<br/>"He was pushed off the platform at the train station," Serena said.<br/>The room suddenly got quiet, and everyone turned to Serena. She became uneasy as Calem's family looked at her confused, having just realized that she was in the room. <br/>"Who are you?" The peach-haired woman asked.<br/>"She's his fiance," Jenny answered. <br/>Serena's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. She couldn't believe that the police officer would straight out say those three words in front of everyone. Calem's family stared at the shy woman, befuddled.<br/>"His fiance?!" The blunette woman shouted.<br/>"Calem's engaged?" The older man asked.<br/>"Yeah, one of the nurses told me," Jenny said. <br/>"Wait, hang on -" Serena said. <br/>"If he has a fiance, wouldn't he have told us?" The blunette woman asked.<br/>"Maybe he was busy," The peach-haired woman said with a shrug.<br/>"Too busy?! Too busy to tell his mother that he's getting married?!" Calem's mother asked hysterically.<br/>"Mom, calm down," the blunette woman said.<br/>"Don't tell me to be calm, Dawn!" Mrs. Ketchum barked. <br/>"Oh, if only Ash were here," the peach-haired woman said.<br/>"Wait, you don't understand," Serena said. "I'm not -"<br/>"Grandpa Ramos!"<br/>Serena looked to the blunette woman named Dawn, who had to put down her Piplup so that she could wrap her arms around the older man, who was struggling to stay up and had his hand on his heart. Everyone grew worried as Dawn gently helped her grandfather sit down on Serena's chair.<br/>"What's wrong with him?" Dr. Proctor asked. <br/>"He's got a heart problem," the peach-haired woman answered. "He's had three attacks today."<br/>Grandpa Ramos glared at the woman and said, "They were not attacks, Sonia. They were episodes."<br/>The peach-haired woman named Sonia rolled her eyes and said, "Evidently, there's nothing wrong with his hearing."<br/>"Wait, hold on. Can you please give me a moment to -" Serena begged.<br/>"Excuse me, Dr. Proctor."<br/>Everyone turned around to see the doctor who stopped Serena from coming into the emergency room enter the room, looking at Serena with a disapproving look. Joy followed behind him.<br/>"What is this woman doing here?" He asked. "She's not allowed."<br/>"Buddy, what are you talking about? This woman saved his life," Jenny rebuked.<br/>Once again, all eyes were on Serena, making her nervous again.<br/>"You...you saved his life?" Calem's mother asked.<br/>"Er, well, yeah, but the thing is -" Serena began. <br/>"I thought he was pushed off the platform," Dawn said.<br/>"He was, but she jumped on the tracks," Joy said.<br/>"She jumped on the tracks?" Sonia asked.<br/>"Yeah, she almost got run over trying to save him," Joy answered.<br/>Calem's mother let out a soft gasp, looking at Serena as though she was an angel from heaven.<br/>"You...you risked your life to save my Cay-Cay?" She asked. <br/>Serena opened her mouth to take the opportunity to speak to deny that she's engaged to Calem, but she couldn't bring herself to do it when his emotional mother was looking at her with hope in her eyes.<br/>"Yeah, I did," Serena confessed.<br/>Calem's mother let out a cheerful, "Oh," while the rest of his family looked at Serena in awe. Dr. Proctor, Jenny, and Joy smiled while the other doctor rolled his eyes.<br/>"Yes, yes, she's very brave, but she still can't be here. This is family only," he said.<br/>Calem's mother's look of joy turned into one of determination as she turned to the doctor and said with pride, "She is family, doctor. She's my son's fiance."<br/>"Wait, that's not true, I -" Serena said before she was interrupted a fifth time. <br/>"What is your name, dear?" Calem's mother asked.<br/>The honey blonde woman hesitated before she answered, "Serena."<br/>"Serena," Calem's mother said with stars in her eyes. "What a beautiful name. Why, I can see it now. Mrs. Serena Ketchum."<br/>Serena couldn't help but smile the name before she snapped out of it and opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could, Calem's mother placed her hands on her cheeks and looked deep into her ocean blue eyes. <br/>"We haven't seen Calem him in a long time. I hope you can forgive us for having not heard of you," she said. "I always wanted him to find a nice girl, but I had no idea that he would find someone like you."<br/>Before Serena knew it, the auburn-haired woman pulled her into the tightest hug she ever felt. She could do nothing but awkwardly hug back while her crush's mother cried on her shoulder. The rest of Calem's family joined in the hug while Dr. Schmidt left the room,  and Mimey, Piplup, Jenny, Joy, and Dr. Proctor looked at them with warm smiles, thinking they were witnessing a touching family moment. Serena, meanwhile, felt trapped. She wanted to be engaged with the man of her dreams and would love for his family to like her, but not like this. Finally, the family broke the hug and looked at the honey blonde girl with loving looks.<br/>"So tell us, how did you meet Calem?" Sonia asked. <br/>"Oh, yes, please tell us," Calem's mother said.<br/>"I bet it's a nice story," Grandpa Ramos said. "Or at least better than how he met that one girl at a bar."<br/>"Oh yeah, I remember her," Dawn said. "What was her name?"<br/>"Miette Gulia," Sonia said with a smirk. "She was pretty high and mighty for someone with a funny last name."<br/>"Well, now Calem has found a nice girl, so we can forget all about Miette," Calem's mother said. <br/>"You said it, Mom," Dawn said. "So, Serena, how did you steal my brother from Miette? Tell me it was love at first sight."<br/>Serena hesitated, not knowing how to answer their question. She thought about finally telling them the truth, but she was afraid of what would happen if she did. After thinking about it, she decided to give the most honest answer she could think of.<br/>"W-well, I'm a token fare conductor at the train station off of Thom Avenue," she said. "I first saw Calem about two years ago, and when he smiled at me as he was putting a token in the slot while looking at me with his beautiful eyes, I knew my life would never be the same.<br/>"Aw!" Dawn, Sonia, Joy, Jenny, and Calem's mother said simultaneously.<br/>"That does sound like my grandson," Grandpa Ramos chuckled. "He always had a knack for grabbing a girl's attention with his eyes just like his father."<br/>"I can vouch for that," Calem's mom said. "And I'm sure you did the same to him cause you have beautiful eyes yourself, Serena."<br/>Serena blushed, having never been complimented for her eyes before, and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum."<br/>"Oh, you don't have to be so formal, dear. We're family," Calem's mother chirped. "Just call me Mom."<br/>"What? But don't you think that's a little -?" Serena protested until Calem's mother gave her a pleading look. The honey blonde woman hesitated until she accepted that the auburn-haired woman wasn't going to take no for an answer and said, "Okay...mom."<br/>Calem's mother giggled with glee and said, "Thank you, dear. Now, I assume Calem has told you about the rest of our family, right?"<br/>"Oh yes, I know who all of you are," Serena claimed before turning to Dawn. "You're Calem's sister, Dawn."<br/>"Sure am," Dawn said proudly. "And over on the bed is my buddy, Piplup."<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>"Yes, Calem has told me about Piplup and Mimey too," Serena lied. <br/>"Mime, Mime," Mimey chirped.<br/>"I hope my grandson didn't forget to mention me, young lady," Grandpa Ramos said. <br/>"Oh, of course not, Grandpa Ramos," Serena replied. "You're easy to recognize from all the pictures Calem has shown me."<br/>Grandpa Ramos chuckled and looked away bashfully. Serena began to relax, thankful that she overheard everyone's names and how they are related to her crush. But then she noticed Sonia and realized she didn't know how she was related to Calem. She guessed that she was his aunt, but she was worried about what would happen if she guessed wrong in front of the family. She paused for a moment before she got an idea of how to find out safely.<br/>"And you're...uh, well, it's uh…" she said, pretending she was having trouble remembering.<br/>Sonia smiled and said, "I'm Sonia, Calem's godmother."<br/>"Yes! That's right. You're Sonia," Serena said. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe it slipped my mind like that."<br/>"Aw, don't fret about it. It happens to the best of us," Sonia said. "Heck, sometimes I forget where I put my phone even though it's in my coat pocket. Isn't that right, Delia?"<br/>"It sure is," Calem's mother, Delia, replied. "Sometimes, when she's visiting us, she leaves our house, forgetting that she left her phone on the dining room table."<br/>Serena chuckled while mentally thanking heaven that they all believed her lies. The room was silent, with the family, Jenny, Joy, and Dr. Proctor, smiling at the honey blonde woman until she cleared her throat. <br/>"Well, I need to get going," she said. <br/>"What? Why?" Delia asked. <br/>"I need to feed my Fennekin. She's probably starving by now," Serena answered. <br/>"Oh, I understand," Delia said.<br/>"You'll come back to visit Calem, though, right?" Dawn asked.<br/>"Absolutely," Serena said without thinking.<br/>"Wonderful. We can't wait to see you again, Serena," Delia said before pulling Serena into another tight hug. <br/>The rest of the family joined in for another group hug, making Serena uneasy while, at the same time, enjoying the loving affection. As she was hugging Delia back, she noticed Joy and Jenny still watching with Dr. Proctor, Mimey, and Piplup and decided she needed to talk to them about the misunderstanding. She waits until the family breaks the hug and clears her throat.<br/>"Joy, Officer Jenny, can I speak with you while I leave, please?" She asked.<br/>The two women looked at her confused before they both said, "Sure."<br/>"Thank you," Serena said before turning to the family. "It was great meeting all of you."<br/>"You too, Serena," Delia said.<br/>"Mr. Mime," Mimey said.<br/>"Hope to see you soon," Dawn said.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped in agreement.<br/>"Don't be a stranger," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"Ramos, how can she be a stranger if she's Calem's fiancee?" Sonia rebuked.<br/>Serena chuckled again before she finally left the room with Jenny and Joy following behind. She made sure that they were far away from Calem's room before turning to Jenny and Joy.<br/>"Okay, what was that?" She asked. "Why did you guys say I'm his fiance?"<br/>Jenny and Joy looked at Serena, puzzled, and the latter asked, "Because you said you are."<br/>"What? I never said that," Serena said. <br/>"You're not engaged to Calem?" Jenny asked.<br/>"No, I'm not engaged to him. I've never even spoken to the man," Serena said. <br/>"But I heard you say that you're going to marry him," Joy said.<br/>"I was talking to myself when I said that," she said. "I've been crushing on that man for ages and was hoping that saving him would lead to me getting to officially meeting him."<br/>"And you were imagining him showing affection for you by placing his hand on your cheek?" Jenny asked.<br/>Serena flushed and gave the officer a nod. Jenny shook her head in disapproval while Joy sighed. <br/>"Friendly advice, Serena; the next time you say something like that, say it more quietly so that no one can hear you or at least say that you're single at the end of the conversation," Joy said.<br/>"Yeah, and don't pretend the guy is caressing your cheek when you're not a couple," Jenny said. "I get that he's really cute, but that's just weird."<br/>"Ugh. I know, but I couldn't help myself," Serena whined. "What am I going to do? His mom was hugging me so tight. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth."<br/>The nurse and the officer looked at her sympathetically, and the former said, "I don't know."<br/>"Me neither," Jenny said.<br/>"Not to mention her telling me to call her 'mom,' saying I'm family and everyone hugging me all at once," Serena said.<br/>"I know," Jenny said.<br/>Serena groaned and covered her face with her hands. Jenny and Joy frowned, wishing there was something they could do to undo the situation they unknowingly created. As the three of them stood in silence, Sonia walked over to them, not noticing their downhearted demeanor. <br/>"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but Dr. Proctor told me to ask you to take me to your pharmacy," she said. "I was hoping to get some more medicine for Ramos."<br/>"Oh, sure," Joy replied. "Is it for his heart problem?"<br/>"Problem? More like problems," Sonia tittered. "It's crazy how frequently he keeps getting his so-claimed episodes."<br/>"Okay, well, I can help you with that," Joy said. <br/>"Thank you," Sonia said before turning to Serena. "Though if we're being honest, Serena, I think you saved Ramos's life."<br/>Serena grew uncomfortable and said, "Please don't say that. I don't deserve that kind of credit."<br/>"You do to me," Sonia said with a heartwarming smile. "Heck, as far as I'm concerned, you've saved everyone's life. I think we're all feeling better thanks to you."<br/>Serena winced as Sonia patted her cheek and said, "Lord bless you," before following Joy to the elevator. When they were out of sight, Serena covered her face with her hands again and let out a muffled scream while Jenny patted her back.</p><p> </p><p>************************************************************************************</p><p>As soon as Serena got home, she plopped onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. Fennekin watched with its head tilted, having no idea what Serena was saying with her pillow covering her face. Eventually, Serena put her pillow down and apologized to Fennekin before feeding her Pokemon its dinner. After they had eaten, Serena told Fennekin everything that happened at the train station and the hospital. The fox Pokemon was dumbfounded by Serena's story before it decided to lick her hand out of hope that it might cheer her up. Serena smiled appreciatively and picked up her friend to hug it before going to bed.<br/>But while Fennekin slept on her bed without a care, Serena was unable to fall asleep. She turned back and forth and covered her head with her pillow, but she was wide awake no matter what she did. The honey blonde woman whined as it became clear that she couldn't rest while her mind was fixed on what happened between her and Calem's family. Even though she secretly liked the attention she was getting from a loving family, she worried about what would happen once her crush woke up and the secret would be out.<br/>Desperate to do something about her situation, she decided to go back to the hospital. She changed out of her pajamas and left a note for Fennekin before leaving the apartment. After walking for twenty-five minutes, she entered the hospital, and the receptionist allowed her to visit Calem, having heard the story about Serena being his fiance. Serena fought the urge to deny it before going up the elevator to the ICU. When she entered Calem's room, she smiled at the unconscious man, admiring his handsome looks again before she reminded herself why she was there and cleared her throat.<br/>"Hi, Calem," she said. "I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here in the middle of the night."<br/>Serena paused for a moment to pretend Calem was saying that he was wondering why she was there.<br/>"Uh, well, I thought I should properly introduce myself," she said. "My name is Serena. Serena Judith Yvonne. I'm the woman you always pay the fare for at the Thom Avenue train station.<br/>"Oh, yes. I remember you," she pretended to hear him say. "What are you doing here?"<br/>Serena cleared her throat and said, "Well, um, I think you should know that your family thinks we are engaged."<br/>Serena imagined the beautiful man looking at her dumbfounded and asking, "Why?"<br/>"Well, it's a little hard to explain, but there was a misunderstanding that led to a police officer and a nurse saying we are," Serena said. <br/>"Oh, man. That is crazy," she imagined Calem saying.<br/>"Tell me about it," Serena said with a nervous chuckle. "I've never been engaged before. This is not how I imagined it would happen."<br/>The room became silent as Serena stared at the unconscious man. Her nervous smile turned into a frown before she sat down on a chair next to Calem's bed.<br/>"Actually, Calem, the real reason I came here was to tell you that I didn't mean for this to happen," she said. "The truth is Jenny and Joy were the ones who said we're engaged, but it was my fault that they thought that. You see, when I was a kid, I always imagined that I would find someone special, travel with them, and maybe have a family later down the road. Don't get me wrong, I have a nice apartment, and I have a Fennekin, who is as sweet and adorable as can be, so I can't complain. It's just that I keep dreaming that I would find someone to laugh with, or have deep conversations with, or want to see the whole world with, and from the first moment I first saw you, I wanted that person to be you."<br/>Serena felt goosebumps all over her arms and legs, and her heart skipped a beat. Even though Calem was unconscious, Serena felt embarrassed for confessing how she felt in front of him out loud, but at the same time, she felt better after getting it off her chest. <br/>"Calem, do you believe in love at first sight?" Serena asked before shaking her head. "No. I doubt you do. You're probably too sensitive to believe in that."<br/>The honey blonde woman started playing with her fingers while thinking about what to ask next.<br/>"How about this: have you ever liked somebody and wished that they would get to know the real you?" She asked. "Maybe they would dump the perfect model like this Miette woman your family was talking about and realized that you were the one they wanted to be with?"<br/>Again, Serena fell silent as though she was waiting for her crush to answer her. Her frown deepened as her situation dwelled in her mind again.<br/>"Calem, have you ever fallen in love with somebody you haven't even talked to?"<br/>With the last question, the honey blonde woman sighed and placed her hand on top of her crush's hand. Unknown to her, Sonia was standing on the other side of the glass wall. The peach-haired woman stared at Serena before she quietly walked away, not knowing what to do with what she overheard.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Serena moaned as her eyes opened, and the first thing she saw was her laying her head on the side of a hospital bed. She lifted her head and looked around to find that she was still in the hospital room, sitting on a chair next to the bed. When Serena turned to see Calem still lying on the bed, she squeaked like a mouse, and her face turned pink, forgetting that she sat down so close to him. She then noticed the light out in the window and saw that it was morning and snowing hard. Serena smiled at the view before noticing the clock next to the window showing that it was 7:34.<br/>"Oh my gosh! Fennekin!" She shouted. <br/>Serena sprung out of her seat and grabbed her coat. She turned to Calem and, in a moment of temptation, decided to stroke his hair before she left. Serena hung her head to hide her blush with hair even though her crush was unconscious. She then collected herself and turned to the door only to find Delia's beaming face inches away from hers.<br/>"Serena! Merry Christmas!" Delia exclaimed, pulling Serena into a hug. <br/>Serena let out a low "umph" from the auburn-haired woman's tight embrace. She hesitantly hugged Delia back before realizing that Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, Grandpa Ramos, and Sonia were standing behind Calem's mother. All of them looked thrilled to see her as though they were little children who just saw Santa Claus. <br/>"Hi, Serena," Dawn greeted. "Were you here all night?"<br/>"Uh, yeah, I was," Serena confessed. "I came over to visit Calem last night, and I guess I fell asleep."<br/>"Oh, you're just like me," Grandpa Ramos chirped. "As long as I am lying down or sitting on something, I can sleep anywhere."<br/>"Believe me, he has," Sonia said.<br/>"Mr. Mime," Mimey agreed. <br/>Serena giggled while Delia broke the hug to look at her and say, "So, how's Cay-Cay?"<br/>Serena covered her mouth to hide another giggle from the silly name and answered, "He's doing okay. I think he has a little more color on his face than before."<br/>"Oh, yeah, sure enough," Dawn said, examining her brother with Piplup standing on the bed again. "He's definitely less pale than before, don't you think, Piplup?"<br/>"Piplup," the penguin Pokemon said, nodding. <br/>"Oh, thank the Lord," Delia said as she walked over to the bed and started petting Calem on the head. "Maybe that means he'll wake up soon."<br/>"I hope so, Delia. Dr. Proctor did say that there's no telling when he'll wake up," Sonia said.<br/>"Dontcha worry, Sonia. My grandson isn't going to take long to get out of this coma," Grandpa Ramos said confidently. "Calem is too stubborn to face life like it is just like me."<br/>"Yeah, like how life knows the difference between a heart attack and an episode," Sonia mumbled. <br/>Serena smiled, having overheard Sonia before she cleared her throat and said, "Well, I gotta get going."<br/>Delia looked at Serena, devastated, and asked, "You're leaving?"<br/>"But we just got here," Dawn protested. <br/>"I know, but I gotta get home and feed my Fennekin before going to work," Serena said.<br/>"You're working on Christmas Day?" Sonia asked. <br/>"Yeah, I am," Serena answered.<br/>"You're not working the entire day, are you?" Grandpa Ramos asked.<br/>"No, just from nine to five," Serena answered.<br/>"Oh, good," Delia chirped. "That means that you can come!"<br/>"Come? Come to what?" Serena said.<br/>"To the Christmas party, of course," Dawn answered. "Didn't Calem ever tell you that we celebrate Christmas as a family at night?"<br/>"I… can't say he did," Serena said honestly. <br/>"Seriously? He's told you all about us, but he didn't tell you what we do for Christmas?" Dawn asked, dumbfounded.<br/>"Um, well, we kinda had our own plans before my boss had me scheduled to work today," Serena lied. <br/>"Of course, he did," Dawn said, rolling her eyes.<br/>"Pip, Piplup," Piplup grumbled, sharing its partner's annoyance. <br/>"Oh, if Ash were here, he'd give his brother a good talking to," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>Delia gasped and said, "That's right. You haven't met Ash yet, have you, Serena?"<br/>"No, I haven't," Serena said.<br/>"Oh, he'd be happy to meet you," Delia said. "He'll be happy to meet you."<br/>Serena grew uneasy and said, "That's very kind of you to offer Mrs. Ke - er, Mom, but I don't think I can make it."<br/>"Sure you can," Delia said. "You said you finish work at five, right? That's plenty of time to come since we don't live far from here and we don't start until seven. You can even bring your Fennekin with you too. I'm sure it'll have lots of fun playing with Mimey and Piplup."<br/>"Mr. Mime," Mimey said, nodding.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>"But I'm not part of the family," Serena said. "And I really don't deserve to be a part of a special time like that."<br/>"You're engaged to Calem and risked your life to save him, and yet you're not worthy to spend Christmas with us?" Dawn asked. <br/>Serena opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself when she couldn't find a good answer. Delia smiled warmly at the honey blonde woman as she took out a business card, a notepad, and a pen and started writing on the back of the card.<br/>"Here, write down your address on this," she said, handing the notepad and pen to Serena. "And here's our business card with our address on the back."<br/>Serena reluctantly wrote down her address before handing it back to Delia and politely taking the card. She looked at the address on the back that said 7670 South Jamison Drive and flipped the card to look at the front of the business card. <br/>"'Ketchum Mother and Son Estate Furniture?'" Serena read out loud. <br/>"That's right. We buy furniture from dead people," Delia said. "In fact, Ash is out of town buying estates with his Pikachu right now."<br/>"I see," Serena said. "Well, I better get going. Don't want to keep Fennekin waiting."<br/>"Of course, sweetie. Give us a call after work to let us know if you're coming," Delia said. <br/>"I will," Serena said. "Goodbye, everyone."<br/>"Bye, Serena," Dawn, Grandpa Ramos, and Sonia said simultaneously.<br/>"Mime, Mime," Mimey said, waving its hand.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>Serena gave the family a friendly smile before she turned around and left the room. As the rest of the family turned back to Calem, Sonia watched Serena leave through the glass wall, thinking about what she overheard the night before. Serena sighed as she walked toward the elevator and pressed the down button before a male nurse walked over to her, carrying a box.<br/>"Excuse me, miss?" He asked. <br/>"Yes?" Serena asked. <br/>"I'm sorry we didn't bring these to you right away, Mrs. Ketchum, but these are your husband's things," the nurse said, offering the box to her.<br/>Serena's face immediately turned red from the words "Mrs. Ketchum" and "your husband" before she snapped her eyes shut and squealed, "He's not my husband!"<br/>The nurse looked at her as though she was acting like a madwoman and said, "Sorry. These are your fiancee's things."<br/>Serena opened her mouth to protest, but the nurse handed the box to her and walked away without saying another word. The poor woman whimpered like a child, unable to stand how the situation was building up. The elevator doors opened, and she took a step to get in until a person's arm appeared in front of her. She turned to her left to see a small, thin man with orange rounded hair and grey eyes dressed in a fine suit standing in front of her.<br/>"Hey, are you really Calem's fiancee?" He asked.<br/>Serena let out another sigh, and a weary face asked, "Who wants to know?"<br/>"I'm Trevor McFarley," the man said. "I'm a colleague of Calem's at the firm."<br/>"Oh, pleased to meet you," Serena said, struggling to keep a friendly demeanor. "I gotta go now."<br/>But instead of letting her pass, Trevor stepped closer to Serena, forcing her to back away from the elevator. The honey blonde woman became uneasy as Trevor spoke with a forced smile.<br/>"I just want to say Calem is a nice guy," he said. "I hope he wakes up soon. He's already had a tough year, what with the accident last month and all."<br/>"Accident?" Serena asked.<br/>Trevor frowned and said, "He did tell you it was an accident, right? Please tell me Calem didn't say it was my fault."<br/>"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about," Serena said. <br/>Trevor huffed and said, "Okay, we were playing basketball, right? I had a pencil in my front pocket because I'm a lawyer. That's what I do. I mean, come on. Who could have guessed that after we bumped into each other and fell, my pencil would go through one of his jewels?"<br/>"Jewels? I've never seen Calem wear any jewels," Serena said.<br/>"Not that kind of jewels," Trevor said. "I mean his personal jewels?"<br/>Serena tilted her head, still unsure of what Trevor was talking about. The orange-haired man looked at her strangely, wondering why she didn't already catch what he was talking about. He cleared his throat and pointed at his crotch area while looking away from Serena. She looked at where he was pointing and took a moment before her pupils shrank, and her body began to shake as she realized what he was talking about.<br/>The next thing anyone knew, there was a high-pitched scream that could be heard all over the ICU.</p><p>*****************************************************************************************</p><p>Serena covered her face with the box carrying Calem's things as she walked home, running away from the hospital without saying a word to Trevor. The poor woman quietly cried as she felt a part of her innocence disappear, unable to get rid of the graphic image of what happened to Calem out of her mind. She covered her face with the box so much that she bumped into the front door to her apartment complex before opening it. When she entered her apartment, she couldn't look at Fennekin as she apologized for being away for so long and feeding the fox Pokemon her breakfast. Fennekin wondered what happened to Serena, but her partner refused to say a word before leaving the box on her bedroom floor, said goodbye to her Pokemon, and exited the apartment again.<br/>As soon as she closed the door behind her, Serena leaned against it and let out another weary sigh, and mentally told herself to focus on going to work. But as she walked down the stairs, the door to Mr. Walken's apartment opened, and Tierno's round head stuck out. <br/>"Hey, Serena," he said. "Tonight. 8 o'clock."<br/>Serena stopped walking down the steps and asked, "What?"<br/>"I'm picking you up to see the ice capades," Tierno said while holding out two tickets in his left hand. "I know a guy."<br/>"Oh, sorry, Tierno. I can't," Serena said. "I have plans tonight with Fennekin."<br/>"No problem," Tierno said with a toothy grin. "Pokemon partners can come for free. Squirtle and I would love to have your Fennekin join us."<br/>"No, Tierno. You can't just -" Serena began. <br/>"I'll be at your doorstep at 8 on the dot," Tierno interrupted. "Make sure you're ready by then. It's gonna be awesome."<br/>Before Serena could protest, Tierno had already closed the door. She groaned in annoyance, tired of people not letting her speak over the last nineteen hours. She exited the apartment building and began heading to Mickey's churro stand, grumbling as she walked. She asked Mickey to decorate her churros with chocolate sauce, feeling the need for something extra sweet to comfort her before she went to the Thom Avenue station and clocked in. <br/>For the next four hours, Serena sat alone in the token booth. With Shauna off to celebrate Christmas with her family, Serena had no one to talk to while very few people and Pokemon came to take the train. The most she would see were a couple of families with the children carrying their new toys or some elderly people and their Pokemon going to meet their families in their homes, bringing presents and food while waiting for the train. Serena frowned and rested her head with her hand, feeling envious of the passengers celebrating with their loved ones. <br/>Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Serena turned her head to see Iris and Axew through the window with a tall, pale man with bright green hair and a Pansage on his shoulder, and a ten-year-old boy with tan skin and lime-green hair and a Dratini standing next to him. The six of them were smiling at Serena with the boy cheerfully waving. Serena smiled back and stood up from her seat to open the door and let the family in.<br/>"Merry Christmas, Serena," Iris greeted with a hug.<br/>"Axew," Axew said inside Iris' hair. <br/>"Merry Christmas, Iris," Serena said, hugging her boss back before turning to the man and the boy. "And merry Christmas to you too, Cilan and Maynor."<br/>"Most merry of Christmases to you, Serena," the man named Cilan said with a bow.<br/>"Pansage," the Pansage said.<br/>"Merry Christmas," Maynor said.<br/>"Dratini," the Dratini said.<br/>Serena's smile grew as she knelt down to Maynor's height and asked, "And who is that Pokemon next to you, Maynor?"<br/>Maynor's face lit up, and he turned to the Dratini, saying, "This is Dratini, my partner."<br/>"Oh, wow. You have your very own Pokemon?" Serena asked, pretending to be surprised.<br/>"Yup, he's a Christmas present from Santa," Maynor said. "We're gonna go on a Pokemon journey together after new year's."<br/>"A Pokemon journey? That's super exciting," Serena said.<br/>"I know," Maynor chirped. "We can hardly wait. Can we, Dratini?"<br/>"Dratini," Dratini replied before rubbing its head against Maynor's cheek affectionately. <br/>The boy laughed as he hugged his Pokemon while Serena smiled, happy to see Maynor and his new Pokemon bonding. Iris and Cilan watched the moment with Cilan's arm around his wife's waist before Iris cleared her throat.<br/>"Anyway, we just thought we'd drop by while we wait for the train to take us to Cilan's parents," Iris said. "Figured my best employee could use a little company while working hard."<br/>Serena smirked and rolled her eyes, amused with her boss' sweet-talking. <br/>"Thank you. I appreciate it," she said. <br/>"It's our pleasure," Cilan said. "Now, we better get to the platform so that we're ready to get on the train."<br/>"Pansage," Pansage agreed.<br/>"Alright, Dad," Maynor said. "Come on, Dratini."<br/>"Dratini," Dratini replied.<br/>Serena kept her smile as she watched Cilan and Maynor exit the booth with their Pokemon. The honey blonde woman noticed her boss watching her husband and son walk to the platform with a blissful look, and felt jealous again, wishing we could be happy like Iris as a wife and a mother. Her mind went back to Calem's family and how they wanted her to spend Christmas with her and cleared her throat to catch Iris' attention. <br/>"Iris, can I talk to you about something?" She asked. <br/>Iris turned to Serena and said, "Sure, what's up?"<br/>Serena explained everything that happened between after she saved Calem and before she left the hospital that morning. Iris and Axew were baffled the more they listened while Cilan watched Maynor and Dratini play on the platform. When Serena was done, both Iris and Axew looked at the floor to contemplate, making Serena uneasy.<br/>"Well? What do you think?" She asked. <br/>Iris was silent for a moment before giving Serena a teasing smirk and saying, "I think you're lucky. Most guys can still have children with just one cherry."<br/>"Not that!" Serena screamed with her eyes shut and her face red. "I mean, what do you think I should do?!"<br/>"I don't know. I honestly don't see what the big deal is," Iris said.<br/>"The big deal is Calem's mom thinks I'm her future daughter-in-law, Iris," Serena said. "They were so happy that I saved his life, his grandfather has some heart condition, and if I tell the truth, he's going to have a heart attack and die."<br/>"Well, then play along with it," Iris said. "When Calem comes out of his coma, his family will be so happy that they won't care that you lied to them. They might even thank you for keeping them company while they wait for him to wake up."<br/>"But what if Calem doesn't come out of his coma?" Serena asked.<br/>"Well, then no one needs to know," Iris said with a shrug. <br/>"But I don't want to lie to them forever," Serena protested.<br/>Iris shook her head and said, "Look, Serena, when the elder from my hometown in Unova found out that I was going to marry Cilan even though he isn’t a dragon-type Pokemon trainer, almost died of a heart attack. Now, are you sure his grandpa's heart condition is that serious?"<br/>"I think so," Serena said. "Sonia did say he had multiple problems and thinks I saved his life."<br/>"Well, there you go," Iris said. "If you tell them the truth now, you might as well shoot his grandpa."<br/>Serena groaned, wishing her boss would give her more helpful advice. Iris sighed and said, "Look, I know you don't want to lie, Serena, but I don't see any other option. Besides, it seems like a win-win if you go to the party tonight. They get a future daughter-in-law to spend Christmas with, and you get to experience what it's like to have a family. Wouldn't you like that even if it's just for one night?"<br/>Serena opened her mouth to answer "no," but she stopped herself and thought about Iris' question. For all of her displeasure about the misunderstanding, she couldn't deny that Calem had the kind of loving family she wished she had. She treasured the days she would celebrate holidays with her father, but there was something heartwarming about the idea of having a big family to be a part of. Maybe when Calem woke up, he might fall in love with her after all for saving him, and she would really be a part of his family. <br/>Serena smiled at the thought before she reached into her pocket and took out the business card Delia gave her. She flipped the card to look at the address and realized that it was within walking distance from one of the train stations out in the suburb. She tried to shake the idea of going, but at the same time, she wanted to spend the holiday with the Ketchums. Serena turned to Iris, who was smirking at her employee, knowing what was on her mind. Ultimately, the honey blonde woman sighed in defeat, accepting that she couldn't resist the temptation.<br/>"I must be out of my mind," Serena said</p><p> </p><p>*******************************************************************************</p><p>For the rest of her shift, Serena sat alone in the booth, thinking about going to the Christmas party. When she came home, she apologized to Fennekin for how she acted earlier that day and updated her on what was going on. The fox Pokemon was skeptical of the idea of going to the party, but ultimately agreed to go, thinking it would be fun. The two of them took the next half hour to cook treats and put them in bags before they left their apartment while making sure Tierno didn't notice them. <br/>The honey blonde woman and her Pokemon partner took the train to Vaniville Town and walked two miles south to South Jamison Drive. They took a turn to the street until they saw a white, two-story house with the number 7670 hanging above the garage door. Serena and Fennekin stared at the home in awe, for the building was covered inChristmas lights. Serena smiled at how beautiful the house looked, suddenly feeling giddy about how it would look on the inside, but then she took a step back, which caught Fennekin's attention.<br/>"Fen?" The little fox Pokemon asked.<br/>"Sorry, Fennekin," Serena said. “I'm just really nervous. I know they already like me, and I hope we have a great time with them, but I'm worried that we're going to feel out of place. What if they ask me questions about Calem and find out that I've -"<br/>"Serena!"<br/>Serena jumped and turned her head to see Sonia and a Yamper walking over to her and Fennekin from the other side of the sidewalk. The peach-haired woman was wearing a tan trenchcoat and a brown beanie hat, and her Yamper was wearing a gray sweater with a gold "Y" at the center. Serena forced a smile on her face, hoping Sonia didn't overhear what she said.<br/>"Sonia, hi," she said.<br/>"Glad to see you made it," Sonia said. "And you brought your Fennekin too."<br/>"Yeah, I did," Serena said before looking at Yamper. "And I'm guessing that's your partner?"<br/>"Yup, this little sweetheart is Yamper," Sonia said, giving her Pokemon a sweet smile. "The two of us have stuck together since back when I was growing up in the Galar region."<br/>"Arf, arf!" Yamper barked happily.<br/>"Oh, you're from the Galar region?" Serena asked. <br/>"Born and raised," Sonia said. <br/>"What brought you to Kalos?" Serena asked.<br/>"College," Sonia answered. "My grandmother was a Pokemon professor, and she wanted me to study abroad so that I could become one too. That's when I met Delia, and Calem and Ash's dad, Red. We've been the best of friends ever since the good old days in Anistar University, and I just didn't want to leave my friends' sides, especially when Calem was born, and I became his godmother."<br/>"Yeah, I was wondering; don't you have to be catholic?" Serena asked.<br/>"Not necessarily. The catholic church lets a protestant be a child's godmother as long as there's a letter from her church that proves that she's a member of it," Sonia said. "And I'm thankful that I am his godmother because he and Ash are like sons to me."<br/>"That's nice," Serena said. "It must be wonderful to be a part of a family like that."<br/>"It really is," Sonia said with a smile. "What about you, though? Do your parents live around here?"<br/>Serena frowned and said, "No. My mom died when I was just a baby, and my father passed about three years ago."<br/>"Oh, I'm sorry," Sonia said. "You must miss your dad."<br/>"Very much," Serena said. <br/>Sonia looked down and took a moment before she said, "You know I lost my fiancee when Delia and I were still in college."<br/>"You did?" Serena asked. "What happened."<br/>Sonia looked up to face the honey blonde woman again and said, "Oh, Leon was always an absentminded man. I couldn't look away from him for two seconds before he would get himself lost. One day when it was snowing, he was going for a drive, and then…"<br/>Sonia’s frown deepened, and she hung her head while Yamper let out a soft whine and nudged its head against its partner's leg. <br/>"I'm sorry," Serena said. "That must have been hard for you."<br/>"It was," Sonia said. "It was a very rough time for me. That's why I'm grateful that Delia was there to comfort me, and I'm glad I was there for her when Red passed not too long after they had Dawn. As far as I'm concerned, we are practically sisters."<br/>Serena smiled and said, "That's nice. I wish I knew what that's like as an only child."<br/>"I know how you feel as an only child myself," Sonia said before she looked at Serena seriously. "But you know, Serena, even if we're not related by blood, the Ketchums took me in as part of the family, and they are precious to me."<br/>"I can see why," Serena said. "They are a very loving family, aren't they?"<br/>"They sure are," Sonia said. “And I hope you understand that I won't let anyone hurt my family."<br/>Serena grew uncomfortable and said, "I don't want anything to hurt them either."<br/>Sonia gave her a small smile and said. "I know you don't. That's why I appreciate that you -"<br/>"Serena! Sonia! There you are!"<br/>Serena, Sonia, Fennekin, and Yamper turned their heads to see Delia coming out from the front door while wearing a white sweater with a golden "M" in the middle. The auburn-haired woman raced over to the four of them and pulled Serena into another tight hug.<br/>"Oh, I'm so happy you came!" She said. "And just a couple of minutes early too."<br/>"What can I say? I like to be punctual," Serena said with a nervous chuckle. <br/>Delia broke the hug to give Serena a warm smile before she knelt down in front of Fennekin.<br/>"And you brought your Fennekin too," she said while petting Fennekin's head. "It's so cute."<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said, enjoying the affection. <br/>Delia then stood up and said, "Alright, let's go in already. You must be freezing."<br/>Serena, Sonia, Fennekin, and Yamper silently obeyed, following their host to the front door. When they got inside, Serena's mouth dropped as she took off her coat and hat and hung them on a coat hanger. The inside was more beautiful than she anticipated. It had a shiny hardwood floor, a living room with a fireplace where stockings were hanging above and a couple of couches, a large Christmas tree standing majestically with lights, thistle, and other decorations all over it, and several presents lying under it. At the end of the hallway was the kitchen where Dawn and Grandpa Ramos were decorating treats with Piplup and Mimey. <br/>The walls were covered with family photos. Some of which included what appeared to be Calem's dad, who she thought was the spitting image of her crush, but then she noticed pictures of a guy with messy raven hair, brown eyes, and "z" marks on his cheeks. He wasn't as stunning as Calem in her eyes, but she found herself enthralled by the way the raven-haired guy was showing such energy and enthusiasm. Each picture showed him giving the camera a toothy grin with a Pikachu standing on his shoulder. She smiled as she looked at the pictures, wondering what the guy was like in person. <br/>"That's Ash. He’s the middle born."<br/>Serena turned to Sonia, who had her trenchcoat off to reveal a teal-colored sweater with a gold "S" in the middle. <br/>"Oh, this is Ash," Serena said. "He's cute."<br/>"I know," Delia said, having overheard Serena. "My baby boys have grown to become such handsome men. And to think just one look at one of them changed the life of a sweet girl like you, Serena."<br/>Serena chuckled nervously and thought to herself, "Well, she's not wrong about that."<br/>Right as Serena thought that, Dawn saw her from the kitchen and gasped loudly.<br/>"Serena! You're here!" She screamed. <br/>Serena turned her head just in time to see Dawn racing toward her. Dawn pulled her into an embrace nearly as tight as Delia's, giggling in delight. Grandpa Ramos walked over to them with a bright smile with Piplup and Mimey.<br/>"I'm so happy you came!" Dawn shouted. "I was so worried that I couldn't spend Christmas with my future big sister!"<br/>Serena couldn't help but smile, touched by how Dawn hugged her as if they were biological siblings. She hugged the blunette back without thinking, and Delia let out an "Aw" with her hands clasped together. The two young women broke their hug, giving Grandpa Ramos the chance to hug Serena.<br/>“Thank goodness,” he said. “We were just minutes away from starting dinner too.”<br/>“Well, I’m glad Fennekin and I came in the nick of time,” Serena said before she remembered her treats. “Oh, yeah. Fennekin and I made some cookies before we left our apartment. They're still in my coat pocket."<br/>"Aw! Aren't you just a gem, Serena?" Delia said. <br/>"So many treats made from my granddaughter and future granddaughter-in-law," Grandpa Ramos said. "I just might blow up like a balloon before new year's."<br/>"It wouldn't be the first time," Sonia whispered to herself. <br/>Serena walked over to the coat hanger to grab the bag of treats from her pocket and walked back to hand it to Dawn. As the blunette thanked her, Serena noticed that Dawn was wearing a pink sweater with a gold "D" at the center. She then turned to Grandpa Ramos, wearing a pine green sweater with a "G" and an "R" at the center. She looked past the old man and saw Mimey wearing a light blue sweater with an "M" at the center and Piplup wearing a bubble gum pink sweater with a "P" at the center. The honey blonde woman's heart melted as she realized that everyone in the family had their own sweater with the first letter of their names.<br/>"Alright, now that we're all here, let's eat," Delia said.<br/>"Wait, what about Ash?" Sonia asked.<br/>Delia frowned and said, "He got held up, so he won't be home until tomorrow."<br/>"Aw, that's sad," Serena said. "I'm sorry that he's going to miss out on celebrating Christmas with all of you."<br/>"That's mighty kind of you to say, young lady," Grandpa Ramos said. "It just comes to show that he's devoted to helping running the business, I'm afraid."<br/>"Yeah, he and Pikachu travel all over Kalos buying furniture," Dawn said.<br/>"Wow. That's nice," Serena said. "I wish I could do that."<br/>"What do you mean? Have you and Calem ever gone on vacation together?" Dawn asked.<br/>Serena's cheeks turned pink, and she said, "I'm afraid not. It's a little hard to do when we're always working. I stay in the token booth, and he always drops by to take the train to work."<br/>"Oh, that sounds like my Cay-Cay. Always working," Delia said with a pout. "But, it sounds like working a lot is something you two have in common."<br/>"I don't know about that," Serena said as she looked away and played with her hair. "It is wonderful whenever I get to see him, though."<br/>Delia and Dawn simultaneously went "Aw" while Grandpa Ramos and Sonia smiled. The hallway was silent for several seconds before Delia cleared her throat and said, "Enough chit chat. Let's go eat already."<br/>Everyone said words of agreement before they all headed to the dining room, and Serena's face lit up at the sight of it. The table was covered with a red tablecloth with images of Christmas trees, ornaments, candy canes, and Santa Claus. Two red candles were standing on silver candleholders. There was a large turkey at the center of the table, and surrounding it were bowls of yam, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green bean casserole. Never before had the honey blonde woman seen such a feast in person, even when she and Fennekin would celebrate Christmas with her dad.<br/>Dawn took several bowls with Pokemon food and laid them down on the floor where Mimey, Piplip, Yamper, and Fennekin sat down. The humans sat around the table with Delia and Grandpa Ramos sitting on opposite ends. Delia gestured to Serena to sit next to her while Sonia sat next to Serena on her left, and Dawn sat on the other side. When everyone was settled in, everyone grabbed hands, held them up, and bowed their heads. The Pokemon also bowed their heads in prayer. <br/>"Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time to celebrate your birth as a family," Delia began. "Bless this food to our bodies, and bless this time together. Father, we ask this time that you would be with Ash and Calem. Help Ash to finish his work, and help Calem to wake up soon. Finally, we want to thank you for Serena and for the joy she's been for us, and may she continue to light up our lives as the new member of our family. It's in your holy name we pray amen."<br/>"Amen," Sonia, Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Serena say simultaneously.<br/>The Pokemon utter calls of agreement as their own way of saying "amen" before eating their food. The family passed the food around with Serena before they started eating. Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes before Dawn decided to strike a conversation.<br/>"So, Serena, have you and Calem decided on a date for the wedding?" She asked.<br/>Serena choked on her stuffing and coughed violently before she answered.<br/>"Excuse me," she said to everyone at the table. "No, we haven't decided on a date. We, uh, haven't had a chance to decide on anything."<br/>"Because of work?" Dawn asked.<br/>"Among...other things," Serena replied.<br/>"Sounds like you need to work stuff out," Grandpa Ramos said. "If that's what it's like when trying to get married, how will you spend time together as a couple and give me some great-grandchildren?"<br/>Serena let out a squeal that she instantly covered with her mouth, her cheeks turning red. She hung her head to hide her blush with her hair before she cleared her throat. <br/>"I'd like to think we'll figure it out eventually," she said. <br/>"I'm sure you will, sweetie," Delia said. "I used to be a stay-at-home mom before Calem, Ash, and Dawn's father passed, and I had to take over the family business. Take it from a mother and a businesswoman. Working and raising children is a struggle, but it's always rewarding so long as you're there when you see your babies grow up."<br/>"I'll keep that in mind...Mom," Serena said, resisting the urge to call Delia "Mrs. Ketchum."<br/>After everyone finished their dinner, Grandpa Ramos took the empty plates and bowls and put them in the sink while Delia and Sonia put the leftover food in bags and put them inside the refrigerator. Serena and Fennekin then followed the family to the living room, where Delia brought the bags of treats, including Serena's cookies, and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couches. Everyone sat down on the couches and started eating the treats, with Dawn and Grandpa Ramos having stars in their eyes after eating some of Serena's cookies.<br/>"Holy cow, these are delicious!" Dawn exclaimed.<br/>"They sure are," Grandpa Ramos said. "How did you get them to taste so good, Serena?"<br/>Serena's cheeks heated up again, and she said, "I don't really do anything special. I just made them the way my dad taught me."<br/>"Well, your dad was very talented in making pastries," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"I agree," Sonia said after eating a cookie. <br/>"I don't know about that, but the sweets you made are delicious too, Dawn and Grandpa Ramos," Serena said.<br/>"Aw, shucks," Grandpa Ramos said, his cheeks turning pink.<br/>"Maybe one of these days we should bake sweets together," Dawn said. "Piplup and Fennekin can help too."<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said happily.<br/>"I'd like that," Serena said with a smile. <br/>"Aw, that's so sweet, you two," Delia cooed before turning to Serena. "Now, before we start unwrapping presents, would you like to see some pictures of Calem from when he was growing up?"<br/>Immediately, Serena's head turned to Calem's mother, looking at her like a Poochyena excited to get a treat, and said, "Yes, please!"<br/>The auburn-haired woman giggled before leaving the room for a moment and came back with a photo book. She sat down next to Serena and began showing photos of Calem starting from when he was a baby. Serena would switch between saying, "aw, look at him," "he's so cute," and "oh, that's precious" as she looked through the album. There were pictures of him winning spelling bees, science competitions, and even a newspaper clip of him saving a family of Skwovet during a family vacation in the Galar region. In her mind, she knew it was weird to look at childhood photos of her crush as if they were together, but the more she learned about him, the more she saw him as the perfect man she wanted to marry. <br/>When they finished going through the book, Delia stood up and said, "Alright, everyone,  time for presents."<br/>"Excellent," Grandpa Ramos said. "Who is Santa this year?"<br/>"Uh, what do you mean play Santa?" Serena asked. <br/>"It's where a family member hands everyone their gifts," Grandpa Ramos explained. "We go from oldest to youngest as to who gets to go."<br/>"Aw! That's a cute idea," Serena said. <br/>"Glad you like it," Delia said. "Anyway, I think it was Sonia who was Santa last year, right?"<br/>"No, I was Santa the year before that," Sonia said. "That was the year Calem brought Miette with him, remember?"<br/>"Oh, yes. I remember now," Delia said, her face turning cold and bitter. "Thank God she couldn't stay for long."<br/>"Wow, Mrs. Ketchum really hates this Miette person," Serena thought. "I must really be a gem to her if I'm such an improvement...even if Calem and I aren't actually together."<br/>Delia shook her head and brought back her radiant smile before she said, "Well, that means Calem went last year, which makes it Ash's turn, but since he's not here, he'll have to do it next year. So, that makes it your turn, Dawn."<br/>"Alright!" Dawn said excitedly. <br/>The blunette got up from her seat, walked over to the Christmas tree, and began grabbing presents. She started by handing gifts to Grandpa Ramos, followed by Sonia, Delia, Mimey, Piplup, and Yamper. She then placed two presents on her seat before taking a flat, rectangular present and holding it up to Serena. Serena looked at Dawn, confused, until the young woman giggled.<br/>“Well, what are you waiting for? Take your present,” Dawn said.<br/>Serena’s eyes widened, and she asked, “You...you mean that’s for me?”<br/>“Of course, silly. You didn’t think Santa would come without presents for everyone, did you?” Dawn said with a smile. <br/>Serena stared at Dawn, shocked, before she smiled and took the present. The blunette woman took her seat next to her, and Delia said, "Alright, everyone, let's unwrap some presents."<br/>The family smiled and wrapped their gifts while Serena watched. Grandpa Ramos got gardening scissors, Delia got a gold watch, Sonia got flower hairpieces, Dawn got gold earrings, Mimey received oven mittens, Piplup got a new red bowtie, and Yamper got a toy bone. Everyone in the family smiled and thanked the person who got them their gifts. The Pokemon rushed to their partners' sides with Mimey and Piplup hugging Delia and Dawn, respectively, and Yamper hopping onto Sonia's lap and licking her face. Serena smiled and embraced her present, enjoying the sight of the family showing their love for one another in joy and happiness until Dawn elbowed her on the side.<br/>"Come on, Serena. Open your gift already," she said.<br/>"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right," Serena said. <br/>Serena undid the wrapping to reveal a white box, and she opened the lid before letting out a gasp. Inside was an ocean blue sweater with a gold "S'' on the center, a little orange sweater with a gold "F" on the back, two red stockings with Serena and Fennekin's names on them. Serena covered her mouth as she stared at the gifts before turning to Delia, who was smiling at her.<br/>"I knitted your sweater with Mimey's help while Dawn made the stockings and the sweater for Fennekin," she said. "I was worried that I couldn't get them done on such short notice, but luckily it's not the first time we've made family sweaters. Also, I choose that specific shade of blue because it matches your eyes."<br/>Serena stood still with her mouth still covered, unable to believe what Calem's mother, her Pokemon, and his sister made for her. Her eyes began to water as she found herself standing up to hug Delia. Grandpa Ramos, Sonia, Mimey, Piplup, and Yamper smiled as Dawn stood up to join in the hug.<br/>"So, this is what it's like to have a mom and a sister," Serena thought.<br/>The three women held their embrace for half a minute before Grandpa Ramos stood up and said, "Alright, time for the family photo."<br/>"Okay, Ramos," Delia said as she broke the hug with Serena and Dawn. "Serena, you and Fennekin better put on your sweaters for the photo."<br/>Seren opened her mouth to decline but then stopped herself, knowing by now that Delia won't take no for an answer, and put her new sweater on before helping Fennekin with its sweater. She picked the fox Pokemon up and walked to the Christmas tree, where Delia, Mimey, Dawn, and Sonia were standing, with the latter two holding Piplup and Yamper, respectively. Delia gestured to Serena to stand in the middle with her while Grandpa Ramos set up the camera on a tripod. <br/>As Serena held Fennekin while waiting to take the picture, she felt Delia wrap her arm around her side, making the honey blonde woman uneasy. At that moment, Serena began to worry again about what the family would do if they learned the truth. Would the family forgive her for the misunderstanding, or would they be furious? Serena turned her head to Delia, who watched Grandpa Ramos set up the camera, and wondered how devastated she would be if she learned that she made a sweater for a liar. For all the honey blonde woman knew, Calem's mother would think she was no better than his ex. <br/>Delia then noticed Serena looking from the corner of her eyes and turned to give her a bright smile. Serena smiled back to hide her unease before Grandpa Ramos turned on the camera's timer and rushed over to stand next to Sonia. Serena sighed through her nose before she and Fennekin smiled at the camera, hoping things won't get any worse.</p><p> </p><p>*****************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Back in Lumiose City, a Meowstic was napping on a couch inside a dark apartment on the top floor. Suddenly, the phone in the living room started ringing, and the Meowstic whimpered and turned its body, trying to go back to sleep. The phone kept ringing for several seconds until it stopped with a click and Calem's voice came out of the speaker. <br/>"This is Ketchum. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you."<br/>The phone beeped, and a female voice came from the speaker. <br/>"Hi, it's Miette. Alola is gorgeous, but I'm cutting my trip short because I've been doing some thinking, and I've decided - what the heck? I will marry you, Calem Ketchum!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the morning after Christmas, and the sun was shining through the window into Serena's eyelids. She turned her body around before she opened her eyes and found that she was still in the living room, lying down on one of the couches while Fennekin was napping on the floor. Serenaremembered feeling tired during the party, and Delia convinced her to stay for the night. Everyone hugged her good night before she laid down, with Delia putting a blanket on her. Serena stood up and stretched before she kneeled next to Fennekin and gently nudged it.<br/>"Fennekin, wake up," she said.<br/>The fox Pokemon slowly woke up before it got on all fours and yawned. It turned to Serena and smiled, saying, "Fennekin."<br/>"Good morning to you too," Serena said. "I'm going to call a cab, and we're gonna head home before everyone else wakes up."<br/>"Fennekin?" Fennekin asked.<br/>"I think we've overstayed our welcome," Serena said. "I don't want to trouble them too much."<br/>Fennekin thought for a second before it nodded in agreement, and Serena walked over to the kitchen to use the phone. After she made the call, Serena folded the blanket and put it on top of the couch. She then walked to the hallway with Fennekin and reached out to grab her coat and hat until she heard a voice.<br/>"Serena."<br/>Serena jumped in alarm and turned around to find Dawn coming down the stairs. The blunette woman was looking confused as she asked, "What are you doing?"<br/>"Oh, uh, I have another morning shift at work today," Serena lied. "There's a cab coming to take us home before I head to the station."<br/>"Aw, can't you stay for breakfast?" Dawn asked. "Mom will want you to try her apple cinnamon pancakes."<br/>"Sounds delicious, but I'm cutting it close as it is," Serena claimed while putting on her hat and coat. "Maybe some other time."<br/>Dawn pouted before she smiled and said, "Okay. Well, it was wonderful for you to join us last night."<br/>"Yeah, we had a great time too, didn't we, Fennekin?" Serena said, smiling back. <br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said.<br/>"Well, I hope we'll see you whenever we visit Calem at the hospital," Dawn said.<br/>"I hope so too," Serena said as she reached for the doorknob. "Anyway, we better go outside for our -"<br/>But as she opened the door and turned her head to leave, she found herself inches away from a pair of brown eyes. She took a step back to clearly see the face of a man with raven hair, z-marks on his cheeks, and a Pikachu standing on his left shoulder. The raven-haired man looked at her, confused while she smiled awkwardly.<br/>"Hi," she said. "You must be Ash."<br/>"Yeah, that's right," Ash said. "Who are you?"<br/>Before Serena could answer, Dawn shouted, "Ash," and rushed over to hug him. Ash hugged his sister back before Dawn broke the hug to pick the Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder and started petting. The little mouse Pokemon squealed in delight while Ash turned back to Serena.<br/>"Dawn, who is this?" He asked.<br/>"This is Serena. She's Calem's fiancee," Dawn answered. <br/>Ash looked at Dawn as if she said something funny, and his Pikachu tilted its head. <br/>"What? Calem doesn't have a fiancee," Ash said. <br/>"Yeah, he does. She's right here, silly," Dawn said, pointing at Serena. "Didn't mom tell you that?"<br/>"No, mom hasn't called me since she told me about Calem’s accident," Ash said before turning to his Pikachu. "Looks like we've missed out on a few things, buddy."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.<br/>"You sure have," Dawn said. "We had a wonderful time spending Christmas with her last night. She and her Fennekin even have their own family sweaters."<br/>Ash turned back to Serena and then to Fennekin to see their new sweaters, and Serena covered her sweater with her coat, uncomfortable with how Dawn was advertising her. Luckily, before Dawn could say anything else, Serena heard a car honking from outside, and she looked through the door window to see a cab in the middle of the road.<br/>"Thank you," she whispered before she turned to Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu. "That's our cab. We better get going."<br/>"Alright, catch you later," Dawn said. <br/>"Yeah, catch you later," Serena said. "Nice meeting you, Ash."<br/>Serena opened the door, letting Fennekin go out before her. She took a step out the door until she felt someone's hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to find Ash standing close to her.<br/>"Hey, Serena," He said.<br/>"What, Ash?" Serena asked.<br/>Ash paused for a moment, struggling with what to say before he shrugged and said with a friendly smile, "Welcome to the family."<br/>Serena stood still for a moment before she smiled back and said, "Thank you." Ash removed his hand from Serena's shoulder, and she finally exited the house and got on the cab with Fennekin. Dawn handed Pikachu back to Ash before she went outside and waved goodbye with her whole arm as the cab drove away into the city. Ash and Pikachu looked at Dawn in confusion as she went back inside with a cheerful smile.<br/>"Wow, you really like Serena, huh?" Ash asked.<br/>"Everyone does," Dawn said. "You really missed out, Ash. She's really nice and makes delicious sweets. I can't believe Calem is engaged to her."<br/>"Me neither," Ash said. "How come Pikachu and I haven't heard of her before?"<br/>"We didn't know either until we saw her in Calem's room at the hospital," Dawn said. "I don't know about you, but I have some things to say to our brother about keeping her a secret from us."<br/>"Not before I tell him a couple of things myself, Dawn."<br/>Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu looked up to see Delia walking down the stairs, wearing a thistle bathrobe and slippers. Pikachu smiled brightly and jumped off of Ash's arms and landed on Delia's.<br/>"Hi, Pikachu. Did you miss me?" Delia asked. <br/>"Cha!" Pikachu squeaked as Delia pet it behind the ears. <br/>"Hi, mom. Merry late Christmas," Ash said.<br/>"Merry late Christmas to you too, sweetie," Delia said while wrapping an arm around her son and kissing his forehead before turning to Dawn. "Is Serena up yet?"<br/>"Actually, she and Fennekin just left," Dawn answered. <br/>"What? They left?" Delia asked. <br/>"Yeah, Serena has work again, so they needed to head home," Dawn said.<br/>"Oh, that girl. She does work a lot like Calem, doesn't she?" Delia said. "They must be made for each other."<br/>Ash frowned and said, "Okay, seriously, who is Serena?"<br/>Delia and Dawn gave the raven-haired man amused looks, and the former said, "She's your brother's fiancee."<br/>"Yeah, I told you that before she left, Mr. Forget-o," Dawn said.<br/>"But why am I learning this now?" Ash asked. "With Calem's job at the firm, you'd think that we would find out that he's engaged in the tabloids or something."<br/>"Maybe we would have if he was engaged to Miette, heaven forbid, but with a sweet girl like Serena, I think your brother knew better than to make it public," Delia said. <br/>"She is kinda timid sometimes," Dawn agreed. <br/>"Okay, but how did you find out that they're engaged?" Ash asked. <br/>"How about we tell you while I make breakfast," Delia suggested. "I'm making pancakes."<br/>Ash smiled brightly like a child and said, "Sounds great. It's been way too long since I've had your pancakes, Mom."<br/>Delia giggled with her mouth closed at her son's sudden change of demeanor before looking down at Pikachu, who was still in her arms. <br/>"And, I'll make sure to put a lot of ketchup on your Pokemon food, Pikachu," she said.<br/>"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.<br/>The four of them walked to the kitchen, where Delia put Pikachu down on top of the dinner table, and Ash and Dawn sat down around it. As Delia heated up a pan and started making pancake pix, she and Dawn filled Ash and Pikachu in on everything that happened between when the family first went to see Calem at the hospital to the Christmas party. The raven-haired man and his partner were amazed by Serena saving Calem and how everyone enjoyed having her at the party, but the former was still skeptical.<br/>"Wow, Serena sounds amazing," he said. "But seriously, how come you only learned about her the other day? She seems like someone Calem would have brought up long before they got engaged."<br/>"I know! That's what I'm dying to find out," Dawn said. "Calem wouldn't shut up about Miette, but he'd keep Serena a secret? What's up with that?"<br/>"Calem will have a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up," Delia agreed. "But I'd like to think the two of them had their reasons."<br/>"Well, we should ask the next time we see her," Ash said. <br/>"I'm down for that," Dawn said. "We should invite her for when we next go visit Calem so you can spend time with her, Ash. We have her address, so you could come over and invite her."<br/>"Oh, yes. We should absolutely do that," Delia said as she mixed the ingredients together. "I'm sure Serena will be happy to get to know you more, Ash."<br/>"Well, Pikachu and I are hoping we won't have any business trips for a while, so we'll try to catch up with you guys while we wait for Calem to wake up," Ash said.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said.<br/>"I'm happy to hear that, dear," Delia said. "Speaking of business trips, did you get the Flaversham Estate?"<br/>"Yes, mom, I got the estate," Ash said.<br/>“Good. What about the Pierre Estate?"<br/>"Yep. Got that too," Ash replied with a toothy grin.<br/>"And the Rosenwinkel Estate?"<br/>"Got it."<br/>"The Mendez Estate?"<br/>"Got it."<br/>"Whitmore?"<br/>"Done."<br/>"Sinclair?"<br/>"Taken care of."<br/>"What about the Hunt Estate?"<br/>Ash flinched, and he and Pikachu gave each other uneasy looks. Ash looked away from his mother as if he got a bad report card from school and said, "I couldn't get that one."<br/>Delia stopped mixing and turned to her son with a stern look.<br/>"Why not?" She asked.<br/>"Getting the Sinclair Estate took a while, and there was some road trouble between Anistar City and Snowbelle City," Ash explained. <br/>Delia put her hands on her hips and asked, "What kind of road trouble?"<br/>"There was...a blizzard halfway there that made it too dangerous to drive," Ash said.<br/>"A blizzard?" Delia asked with a suspicious look. "Ash Kazuhiko Ketchum, when are you going to stop slacking off?"<br/>"I wasn't slacking off," Ash claimed. "I got the rest of them."<br/>"Yes, but the Hunt Estate was the biggest one," Delia said. "This makes four major estates you messed up on in the past few months."<br/>"Come on, Mom, you can't expect me to get everything," Ash protested. "You, Dad, and Calem have lost clients in the past."<br/>"Not this frequently," Delia said. "The next time I ask you to get all of the estates, I expect you to do it. Is that understood?"<br/>"Yes, Mom," Ash said with his head hung low.<br/>"Good," Delia said before turning around and going back to working on breakfast.<br/>Ash sighed and rested his head with his arm, while Dawn and Pikachu gave each other concerned looks. The blunette woman glanced at her mom before moving her chair next to Ash and leaned into his ear. <br/>"You gotta tell her soon, Ash," she whispered. "She clearly knows that you're lying this time."<br/>"I know," Ash whispered back. "I just need to find a good time."<br/>"There's never going to be a good time if you keep this up," Dawn said.<br/>"Yeah, but it obviously can't be now when she's upset," Ash said.<br/>Dawn sighed in disappointment and said, "Well, maybe you can try the next time we see Serena. She's been keeping Mom in high spirits ever since we met her."<br/>"I'll hold you to that," Ash said. "Especially since I'm going to register for the league."<br/>Dawn's eyes widened, and she turned to their mother again, who started pouring the mix into the pan before she turned back to her brother and asked, "You mean you got them?"<br/>Ash and Pikachu smirked before the former opened his jacket and took out two gym badges from his inside pocket. Dawn whispered, "Yes," before the two siblings quietly high-fived each other.<br/>"I knew you could do it," Dawn whispered. <br/>"Yeah, it was tough, but I got them all," Ash said. "Plus, a certain blue friend evolved along the way."<br/>"That's awesome," Dawn whispered. "How are you feeling about competing?"<br/>"Excited and nervous," Ash said. "Hopefully, I'll make it all the way to the top."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu whispered in agreement. <br/>"I'm sure you will. You just need to keep training whenever you get the chance," Dawn said. "And make sure you tell Mom before -"<br/>"What are you two whispering about?"<br/>Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu jumped and turned to Delia, who was holding a plate of pancakes. The two siblings looked at each other before Ash said with a forced grin, "N-nothing. Just sibling talk."<br/>"Yeah, just sibling talk," Dawn said with her own fake grin. <br/>Delia looked at her grown children suspiciously before she decided to drop it and said, "Alright then. Breakfast is ready, so come and get your plates."<br/>"Yes, Mom," Ash and Dawn said simultaneously.<br/>The two young adults got off their seats and grabbed plates from the cupboard while Delia put the plate of pancakes on the center of the table. She then filled a bowl full of Pokemon food and decorated it with ketchup before placing it in front of Pikachu. The four of them took a moment to say grace before they began eating breakfast. As Ash ate his pancakes, he glanced at his mother and frowned as his mind went back to what he wanted to tell Delia, but then he thought about Serena and wondered whether or not she really was engaged to Calem.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the cab arrived at Serena's apartment complex, she paid the driver before she and Fennekin got out of the car. She peaked through the front door window to the building to make sure Tierno wasn't in the hallway before she and Fennekin went in and took the stairs to the second floor. As soon as they entered their apartment, Serena took off her coat and hat and went into the kitchen. She filled a bowl of Pokemon food, put it on the floor for Fennekin, and then took out a container of leftover toast and fruit from a previous breakfast. <br/>As Serena sat down on the table and ate a watermelon, she thought about the Christmas party with the Ketchums. She smiled as she thought of the fun she had with the family and looked down to look at her new sweater. She turned to Fennekin, who was still wearing its new sweater as well as it ate its food.<br/>"Did you have fun last night, Fennekin?" Serena asked. <br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin answered with a smile.<br/>"I'm glad," Serena said, smiling back. "Calem's really lucky to have such a loving family."<br/>After Serena finished her breakfast, she walked over to the bedroom and plopped onto her bed. She tried to think of something to do on her day off, but all she could think about was Calem's family. She imagined Calem waking up and falling in love with her, and then they get married, making her an official member of the family. Maybe she would help Calem get back in touch with his family since they hadn't heard from him in a while. Serena's cheeks turned red as she thought about her and Calem having children with their own family sweaters that Delia, Dawn, and Mimey made. <br/>Serena rolled to her side, still lost in her little world, until she noticed the box containing Calem's stuff. She debated with herself before she stood up, picked up the box, dumped the contents onto her bed, and sat down in front of them. Serena first opened Calem's briefcase, finding only legal documents. She figured she wouldn't find anything special, but she liked how her crush was so well organized with his work stuff. She then looked at his wallet and saw a picture of Calem and Ash when they were little.<br/>"Aw, that's adorable," Serena said. <br/>She laid down on her back with her head on her pillow before looking through the other pictures. To her surprise, the rest of them were pictures of Calem himself. One was a picture of him on a yacht, another was him posing after playing tennis, and the last one was him on top of a boulder in hiking clothes, shaking his fists into the air. <br/>"Looks like he likes looking at himself. I guess that's one thing we have in common," Serena said with a giggle. "And best of all, there are no pictures of any women that might be this Miette person…unless she's the one taking the pictures."<br/>Serena frowned as the thought occurred to her that Calem might still be dating Miette. She sighed and dropped the wallet before sitting up to look at Calem's keys. She browsed through them just for the fun of it until she noticed a gold key that had an inscription: 481516 Garcia Drive Apt 2332.<br/>"Wow, he lives in Garcia Drive? That must be expensive," Serena said.<br/>Finally, Serena took the brown paper bag lying next to the briefcase and opened it to reveal a can of Pokemon food. She smiled as she took the can out of the bag and started wondering who is Calem's Pokemon partner before she gasped.<br/>"Oh my gosh!" She shouted. <br/>Serena stuffed the can back into the paper bag, grabbed Calem’s keys, jumped out of her bed, and raced to the living room, where Fennekin was lying down on the couch after finishing its breakfast.<br/>"Fennekin, I'm going out for a little bit," Serena said.<br/>"Fen?" Fennekin asked.<br/>"I just found out that Calem has his Pokemon partner left at his apartment," Serena explained while putting on her hat and coat. "It hasn't been fed for two days because of his coma."<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said, standing up on the couch with a look of shock.<br/>"I know. The poor thing must be starving," Serena said as she put the brown bag and keys in her coat pocket. "I'm going to head to his apartment to feed his Pokemon, and then I'll be right back. Okay?"<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said, nodding. <br/>Serena smiled at her Pokemon before she exited the apartment. She rushed downstairs and opened the front door only to stop halfway to find Tierno outside working on his truck with his Squirtle. The honey blonde woman groaned before she used her hand to hide her face and walked past the heavy-set man and his Pokemon. When she was at the end of the street, she looked back to make sure Tierno and Squirtle were still focused on the truck and made a run for it. <br/>But as Tierno and Squirtle worked on the truck, a moving truck parked right behind them, and the car door opened to reveal Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder. Ash took out a piece of notepad paper from his jeans pocket and checked the address on it.<br/>"Looks like this is the place," he said. <br/>"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.<br/>"I know Mom and Dawn said that Serena is working right now, but this whole thing still sounds odd, Pikachu," Ash explained. "We didn't hear from Calem in months, and suddenly he has a fiancee? There's gotta be more to this, and I'm gonna find out what it is."<br/>Pikachu looked at its partner skeptically before it sighed and shrugged as if to say, "Do what you gotta do." Ash smirked and looked around until he noticed Tierno and Squirtle. He tapped Tierno on the shoulder, and Tierno turned around and took off his headphones. <br/>"Excuse me, do you live here?" Ash asked. <br/>"Oh, yeah. I own this place, bro," Tierno replied with a grin. <br/>"Okay, great. Then you must know the woman living in room 201," Ash said.<br/>Tierno scoffed as though Ash said a lousy joke and said, "Know her? I'm dating her."<br/>Ash and Pikachu looked at Tierno confused, and the former asked, "You're dating her?"<br/>"Sure am," Tierno said proudly before giving Ash a glare. "And if you see her, tell her Tierno Walken asked why she ditched me on our date last night."<br/>Without another word, Tierno went back to working on his truck with Squirtle. Ash furrowed his brow and said, "So, Serena is two-timing my brother? I better tell Mom right away."<br/>But Pikachu turned Ash's head to face it and began saying a series of "Pika" and "Pikachu." Ash hummed and scratched his chin in thought before he nodded at his partner. <br/>"You're right, buddy. We need proof to show that Serena's deceiving everybody," he said. "But how can we do that when Serena's at work?"<br/>"Pika, Pika, Pikachu?" Pikachu suggested. <br/>"Hmmm. I guess we can give it a try," Ash said before he smiled and turned his hands into fists. "Okay, let's pay a visit to Calem's apartment."</p><p> </p><p>****************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Serena entered the apartment complex on Garcia Drive, she went straight to the elevator and pressed the button to the twenty-third-floor. As soon as the doors to the elevator opened on the top floor, Serena looked around until she finally found the door with the correct number and unlocked it with Calem's keys. As soon as she entered the apartment, her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. <br/>The flat was twice the length of her apartment. The living room had a white carpet floor, a leather round sofa with a large, black, round coffee table standing in the middle. Paintings were hanging on the white walls in gold frames, a tall plant was standing at the corner, a set of window walls showing a great view of the city. The kitchen had a silver stove with a microwave hanging above it, a fancy-looking sink and dishwasher was next to it, and a large marble counter with six metal stools with leather cushions placed in front of it. <br/>"Even better than I imagined," Serena said to herself, smiling before she shook her head to focus. "Now, where is Calem's Pokemon?"<br/>She took the can of Pokemon food out of the paper bag, opened it, and held it out as she looked around the apartment. <br/>"Calem's Skitty? Calem's Eevee? Calem's male Fennekin who would like to meet my Fennekin?" Serena asked in a singing voice. "Calem's Pokemon? Calem's Pokemon, where are you?"<br/>Just then, Serena heard the sound of footsteps from the door in the kitchen and smiled, thinking that Calem's Pokemon was on the other side. She walked over to the door and pushed it only to feel the door slam against something about her height and hear a man let out a cry of pain. <br/>Serena let out a high-pitched gasp and covered her mouth in shock with her free hand. She slowly opened the door further to reveal Ash groaning while rubbing his forehead, and Pikachu standing next to him. <br/>"Oh, my gosh! Ash, I'm so sorry!" Serena said. "Let me get you some ice."<br/>Serena put the can of Pokemon food on the counter, went to the fridge, and opened the freezer door to take out a cube of ice. She paused to realize that the freezer was full of Vanillite Swirl ice cream cartons and secretly smiled from learning that Calem has a sweet tooth. She walked back to Ash, who had entered the kitchen, still holding his forehead, and gently put the cube where the door hit him.<br/>"Thanks," Ash said as he held the ice on his forehead.<br/>"You're welcome," Serena said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"<br/>"Uh, Pikachu and I came to...water the plants," Ash lied. "What about you? I thought you were at work."<br/>"Oh, uh, it turns out I misread this week's schedule and confused today for tomorrow," Serena fibbed. <br/>"I see," Ash said. "How did you get here?"<br/>"Oh, I have a key," Serena said. "I came to feed Calem's Pokemon."<br/>Ash gave Serena a distrustful look and said, "Calem doesn't have a Pokemon."<br/>Serena became uneasy, worried that she may have misinterpreted what the can of Pokemon food was for. Luckily, right at that moment, there was a purr coming from one of the bottom cupboards. Serena, Ash, and Pikachu looked at each other, confused before the honey blonde woman opened the cupboard to find a male Meowstic inside. Serena mentally thanked the Lord and picked up the Pokemon with a smile.<br/>"There you are, Meowstic," Serena said, talking to the Pokemon like it's a pet. "Were you hiding in the cupboard again? You're so silly."<br/>"Meowstic?" The constraint Pokemon asked, confused with the woman it never met.<br/>Serena became nervous again until she remembered why she was there.<br/>"You must be hungry," she said. "Would you like some food?"<br/>Meowstic's eyes lit up, and it let out an excited, "Meow," instantly forgetting that Serena's a stranger. Serena thanked the Lord in her mind again and put Meowstic down on the counter, where it began eating its food out of the can vigorously. Serena pet Meowstic on the top of its head to keep up the act that they know each other.<br/>Ash frowned as he watched Serena and Meowstic. Though the honey blonde woman tricked him, he still believed that she was cheating on Calem. Just then, the phone rang, and Ash raised his eyebrow as Serena kept petting Meowstic, pretending not to notice.<br/>"Are you gonna get that?" He asked. <br/>Serena turned her head to Ash and said, "Oh, no. I'll let the machine take it. It's always for Calem anyway."<br/>Ash gave her another doubtful look and walked over to pick up the phone. <br/>"Hello," he said.<br/>"Is Ms. Serena Yvonne here?" Dr. Proctor asked. <br/>Ash stood still for a moment before he held the phone to Serena and said, "It's for you."<br/>Serena stopped petting Meowstic and looked at Ash, baffled. She took the phone from Ash and cleared her throat before holding the phone up to her ear.<br/>"Hello?" She asked.<br/>"Serena? This is Dr. Proctor," Dr. Proctor said.<br/>"Oh, hi. How are you?" Serena asked.<br/>"Good, thank you," Dr. Proctor replied. "I'm glad I managed to reach you. Delia gave me your number, but I got your machine, so I thought I'd try Calem's number, thinking you might be here since you're his fiancee."<br/>"Oh, well, you were right," Serena said with a nervous chuckle. "I just happened to be off at work and came to feed Calem's Meowstic."<br/>"Awesome," Dr. Proctor said. "Listen, I'm wondering if you can do me a favor. It's customary for friends and family members of our patients to donate blood. Would you be able to come over to do that? Everyone else in the family except for Ash is already here for that."<br/>Serena hesitated before she answered, "Sure."<br/>"Great. See you then," Dr. Proctor said.<br/>"Goodbye," Serena said before she hung up and turned to Ash. "That was Dr. Proctor. He said it's customary for friends and family to donate blood, and he wants us to come over there. The rest of the family is already there."<br/>Ash smirked as he hatched a plan in his mind and said, "Cool. Let's go together."<br/>"Sure," Serena said. "Do you have a car?"<br/>"I have my truck, but why don't we use Calem's car?" Ash suggested. <br/>"Oh, no. I don't think we should do that when he's unconscious," Serena said. "Besides, I don't drive."<br/>"No problem. Calem lets me drive his car sometimes. He won't mind," Ash said as he took Calem's keys. <br/>Serena chuckled nervously before saying goodbye to Meowstic and followed Ash and Pikachu out of the apartment. Ash locked the door behind him, and they took the elevator to the parking garage underneath the building. The three of them walked a few feet inside the parking garage before Ash suddenly held Calem's keys in front of Serena.<br/>"Here. You should remember where Calem's car is."<br/>Serena stopped herself from looking worried in front of her crush's brother. She took the keys and held the car remote up as she pressed the unlock button. A black car beeped a few yards in front of them, surprising Ash. Serena mentally sighed in relief before handing the keys back to Ash, giving him a boastful look. The raven-haired man furrowed his brow while watching Serena walk over to the car and turned to Pikachu. <br/>"Seems like she is engaged to Calem so far, but she has to slip up sometime," he whispered to his partner.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.</p><p> </p><p>****************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Ash drove the car to the hospital, where the woman at the front desk directed them to the floor where they were taking blood donations. A doctor led them to two beds where two nurses began drawing blood. As Ash's blood was drawn with Pikachu standing next to him on the bed, the raven-haired man turned to Serena and decided to strike a conversation. <br/>"So, Serena, when did you fall in love with Calem?" He asked. <br/>"April 26th, 2019," Serena said.<br/>Ash smirked and said, "Really? Calem was still dating Miette back then. How could you be falling for him when he was seeing her?<br/>Serena turned to Ash and noticed the way he was looking at her. It was at this moment that she finally realized that he was suspicious. She mentally panicked until she thought of a half-truth and looked at the ceiling with a dreamy look as though she were thinking of precious memories. <br/>"Well, we didn't officially meet back then, but that was when I started to crush on him," she explained. "He started regularly taking the train from the station where I work, and it was love at first sight for me. He never spoke to me until much later, and, then…"<br/>"Then you find yourself engaged before you know it?" Ash guessed.<br/>Serena scoffed and said, "Yeah, you could say that."<br/>Ash nodded, pretending to be invested before he said, "You know, my mom told me we need to get your picture for the family mantle."<br/>"You mean a picture of just me?" Serena asked. <br/>"No, of you and Calem," Ash said.<br/>"Oh, well, I'm not very photogenic," Serena said, looking away from Ash.<br/>"I doubt that," Ash said. "I saw the family picture Grandpa Ramos took last night. You looked plenty photogenic to me."<br/>Ash and Pikachu  smirked at each other, thinking that they caught Serena. The honey blonde woman became uneasy again until she thought of another half-truth.<br/>"Well, I mean, I'm not very photogenic when it comes to pictures with Calem," she said.<br/>Ash snickered and asked, "How is that possible?"<br/>"Excuse you, mister, but have you not noticed how gorgeous your brother is?" Serena rebuked with a sassy look. "It's hard enough to believe we're engaged, but I can't stand the idea of a picture with him when I pale in comparison."<br/>Ash's smug look disappeared, and he tilted his head, looking at Serena like she said something strange. <br/>"I don't think that's true," he said without thinking. "I think you're very pretty."<br/>Serena's eyes widened, and her pupils shrank in surprise. She looked down on her feet, hiding her blush with her honey blonde hair. It took a moment before Ash realized what he said, and he covered his mouth and looked away from her bashfully. The two of them were silent for several seconds until Serena cleared her throat. <br/>"T-t-thank you," she said.<br/>"You're welcome," Ash replied.<br/>As they continued to bashfully look away from each other, the nurses took the needles out of their arms and rubbed them with cotton balls. One of the nurses poured some syrup medicine into small cups and handed them to Ash and Serena. <br/>"Alright, now, I want you to stay seated for a moment and drink these, or you'll get woozy," she instructed. <br/>"Okay, thank you," Serena said before she drank her medicine. <br/>Ash took his cup robotically, not paying attention. He felt a tug on his shirt, and he turned to Pikachu, who said another series of "Pika" and "Pikachu" while pointing at Serena. Ash looked at his partner, confused until he remembered his investigation. <br/>"Hey, Serena, when did Calem propose to you?" He asked. <br/>"September 15th," Serena said right away.<br/>"You've been engaged for four months without telling the family?" Ash questioned. <br/>Serena realized that Ash was interrogating her again and said, "Well, we...wanted it to be a surprise."<br/>"Well, you certainly accomplished that," Ash remarked. "How did he propose?"<br/>"Sorry, but we promised to tell it together," Serena claimed. <br/>"Aw, are you sure you can't at least give me a hint?" Ash asked.<br/>"Sorry, but I'm not saying a thing until Calem is awake," Serena said. "Speaking of which, I'm gonna go see how he's doing."<br/>Serena stood up and walked out of the room, pretending she didn't know what Ash was doing. The raven-haired man stood up to chase after her but took two steps before his body began to wobble. He tried to keep walking for a few more seconds before he fell to his side like a log. Serena secretly smirked as she walked toward the elevator, knowing that Ash didn’t take his medicine before getting up. <br/>The elevator took her up to the ICU, and she walked over to Calem’s room. Sonia and Dawn were playing cards on the bed opposite from Calem’s, with Piplup standing on the bed. Grandpa Ramos was resting on a chair on Calem’s right side, while Delia sat on a chair from his left side, holding her son’s hand with both hands as she stared at him. Mimey, standing behind its partner, noticed Serena coming in and said a cheerful, “Mr. Mine,” that grabbed everyone’s attention.<br/>“Serena, sweetheart,” Delia chirped as she stood up to hug Serena. “I thought you had work.”<br/>“Oh, it turned out that I misread the schedule, so I went home,” Serena lied. “I just finished drawing blood with Ash downstairs. He and Pikachu should be along.”<br/>“Well, that’s a bummer that you misread the schedule. You could have stayed for breakfast after all,” Dawn said.<br/>“Yeah, I could have,” Serena admitted. <br/>“Well, the important thing is that you’re here,” Delia said. “And with Ash and Pikachu coming, that makes the whole family here to visit Calem.”  <br/>“That sure is a lovely thought,” Grandpa Ramos said, “We can each take turns talking to Calem.”<br/>“That’s a great idea.”<br/>Everyone turned to the entrance to find Ash and Pikachu coming in. Serena mentally groaned, wishing the effects of the blood drain lasted longer. The raven-haired man smirked as he stood in front of Serena and Delia like he figured out how to get a confession out of a criminal.<br/>“Better yet, we could sing to Calem. I bet he’d like that,” Ash said. “How about it, Serena? What’s Calem’s favorite Pokemon song?”<br/>Serena hesitated, having no idea of how to answer. Sonia became worried for the honey blonde woman and decided to help her keep her secret.<br/>“Let’s see,” Sonia said, pretending to remember something. “I think it was together…”<br/>“Together Forever,” Serena said before Sonia could finish.<br/>Sonia smiled, glad that Serena figured it out right away. Ash and Pikachu, however, frowned, unwilling to back down.<br/>“Who does Calem think is the weakest Pokemon in the world?” Ash asked.<br/>“Magikarp,” Serena said immediately.<br/>“Magikarp? Ha!” Ash said triumphantly before he realized his mistake. “Everyone thinks it’s the weakest.”<br/>“Well, I don’t know about that,” Sonia said with a shrug. “I think Shedinja is pretty lame.”<br/>“Yeah, me too,” Dawn said.<br/>“Piplup,” Piplup chirped. <br/>Ash cleared his throat and pretended that his blunder didn’t happen as he continued his interrogation.<br/>“What is Calem’s favorite ice cream brand?” He asked.<br/>“Vanillite Swirl,” Serena answered, thankful that she saw the containers of Vanillite Swirl ice cream in Calem’s fridge.<br/>“Favorite baseball team?”<br/>“Electabuzz.”<br/>“Kanto or Sinnoh?”<br/>Delia looked at her son, confused, and asked, “Ash, what on Earth is with you asking these questions?”<br/>“Don’t ask me. Ask her boyfriend,” Ash said.<br/>The family looked at him disapprovingly, and Grandpa Ramos said, “That’s not very funny, my boy. Calem is in a coma. You know that.”<br/>“Not Calem. Her other boyfriend,” Ash said.<br/>“My other boyfriend?” Serena asked.<br/>“Yeah. Tierno Walken,” Ash said, grinning. “He told me to tell you that he’s wondering why you ditched him last night.”<br/>The family turned to Serena in shock while Ash and Pikachu crossed their arms and looked at Serena smugly. Serena stared at Ash in disbelief before she facepalmed and made a mental note to have a serious chat with Tierno.<br/>“Tierno Walken is an immature dolt,” she said. “He claimed that we had a date to the ice capades last night without even asking if I wanted to go. He’s obsessed with trying to date me when I want nothing to do with him.”<br/>“I don’t know, Serena,” Ash said. “He was pretty sure of what’s going on between you two when I talked to him.”<br/>Serena groaned, irritated with Ash’s persistence. Just then, a low moan came from Grandpa Ramos as he clenched the arm of his chair on one hand and held his heart with the other.<br/>“Ramos, are you okay?” Delia asked worryingly.<br/>“I think I’m having another episode,” Grandpa Ramos groaned.<br/>Sonia and Dawn jumped from out of their seats and rushed to Grandpa Ramos’ sides. They held his hands as he took deep breaths until the moment passed. Everyone sighed in relief before Delia turned to Ash and slapped him upside the head. <br/>“Ow! What did I do?” Ash asked, rubbing his head.<br/>“You’re making everyone uneasy with your accusations against Serena,” she rebuked. <br/>“Can I help it if it looks like she’s cheating on my big brother?” Ash protested. “Honestly, I’m still not sure she’s really engaged to Calem at all.”<br/>“Ash, that’s a serious claim,” Sonia rebuked. “I think she made it quite clear that she knows plenty about Calem.”<br/>“Did she?” Ash challenged. “I don’t think it’s hard to figure out basic things like Calem’s favorite song or baseball team.”<br/>Dawn frowned and said, “Now that you mention it, those are kinda easy things to know.”<br/>“Piplup,” Piplup said with a concerned look.<br/>“Then give her a chance to really prove it,” Grandpa Ramos suggested. “Maybe she knows something we don’t about Calem.”<br/>Serena’s heart sank as all eyes turned to her. Delia, Mimey, and Grandpa Ramos gave optimistic looks, while Sonia, Dawn, and Piplup were worried that Serena couldn’t prove herself. Ash and Pikachu smirked again, taking Serena’s silence as a sign that they finally won. <br/>Serena was mentally panicking and thought about running away before the family figured out the truth. But then, she remembered her conversation with Trevor and debated on whether or not to tell the family about it. For all she knew, Trevor gave her false information. Ultimately, she decided to roll the dice and bit her bottom lip before she spat it out.<br/>“Calem has one testicle!” <br/>The family gave Serena funny looks, taken aback by her strange claim. <br/>“What? No way,” Ash said.<br/>“Way,” Serena claimed. “About a month ago, there was an accident. Calem was playing basketball with his co-worker, Trevor, who had a pencil in his front pocket. The two of them bumped into each other while playing, and…”<br/>The family winced and looked away, having figured out the rest of her story. Dawn had a disgusted look while Sonia wondered whether or not the story was part of the lie. Ash scratched the back of his head as he and Pikachu looked at each other before he spoke up.<br/>“Maybe we could…?,” he suggested.<br/>“Don’t look at me. I’m not doing it,” Sonia said.<br/>“Me neither,” Dawn said. <br/>Grandpa Ramos shook his head while Mimey looked away and waved its hands, sticking its tongue out. The silence continued until Delia sighed and put up a brave face.<br/>“Okay, look, I’m his mother,” she declared. “If anyone should look, it has to be me.”<br/>Dawn let out a disgusted, “Ew, mom,” as everyone looked away from the bed before Delia lifted up Calem’s blanket. Serena mentally prayed that what she said turned out to be accurate, but at the same time, she didn’t want to know if it was. She waited in silence with her eyes shut, struggling to keep herself together during the suspense. Finally, the moment of truth was revealed when Grandpa Ramos made a comment that made Serena squirm.<br/>“Well, on the bright side, he’s got more room in his jockey shorts.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rest of the visit was awkwardly silent. No one wanted to say anything as it hit them that Calem only had one testicle. Eventually, the family decided to leave and quietly said goodbye to Serena, who took the opportunity to go home herself. When she entered her apartment, it was nighttime, and she silently fed Fennekin without looking at her Pokemon before she plopped onto her couch. Serena took a pillow and put it on her face to muffle a scream. She stayed lying down with the pillow on her face until she heard a knock on her door.  <br/>“Who is it?” she asked in a weary voice.<br/>“Tierno,” Tierno said.<br/>Serena growled in annoyance as she stood up and walked over to her door. Tierno walked inside as soon as she opened the door, upset at the honey blonde woman.<br/>“What gives Serena?” he rebuked. “You stood me up!”<br/>“For what?” Serena asked, pretending to be clueless.<br/>“For our date to the ice capades,” Tierno answered. “I had to give the extra ticket to my pop.” <br/>Serena rolled her eyes and said, “I never agreed to go on a date with you, Tierno.”<br/>“Yes, you did,” Tierno said.<br/>“No, I didn’t,” Serena said.<br/>“You did.”<br/>“No, I didn’t.”<br/>“Did too.”<br/>“Did not.”<br/>“Did too.”<br/>“Did not.”<br/>“You absolutely did.”<br/>Serena growled again and said, “Look, Tierno, you can’t just say that you have a date with a woman without asking her first, and you especially can’t tell people you’re dating her when you aren’t.”<br/>“Says you,” Tierno said. <br/>Serena opened her mouth to speak again until she heard another knock on her door.<br/>“Who is it?” she asked.<br/>“It’s Sonia,” Sonia said from the other side of the door.<br/>“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Serena muttered under her breath.<br/>“Sonia? Who is Sonia?” Tierno asked.<br/>Serena huffed before she pushed Tierno to her closet. The fat man uttered words of protest as she opened the closet door and shoved him inside.<br/>“Not a word from you,” she commanded before she slammed the door shut.<br/>Serena sighed heavily and collected herself before she walked back to the entrance. She opened the door to find Sonia giving her a friendly look as she let herself in.<br/>“Hey. Thought I heard someone else. Do you have company?” She asked.<br/>“Oh, no. It’s just...the TV from next door,” Serena lied.<br/>“Ah. I see,” Sonia said. <br/>Fennekin walked over to Sonia as the peach-haired woman entered the living room. Sonia smiled and knelt down to pet the fox Pokemon behind the ears.<br/>“How are you doing, Fennekin? Did you miss me?” she asked.<br/>“Fennekin,” Fennekin said as Sonia scratched it behind the ears.<br/>“Do you want some coffee or tea, Sonia?” Serena asked. <br/>Sonia stood up and said, “Oh, no, thank you. I’m not staying for very long.”<br/>“You’re not?” Serena asked. <br/>“No, I want to make this brief,” Sonia said as she sat down on Serena’s couch. “Take a seat.”<br/>Serena obeyed the peach-haired woman, and the two of them were silent for a moment before Sonia sighed and put her hand on Serena’s leg. <br/>“Serena, there’s something you should know,” she said. “The night that you were visiting Calem after his accident, I was outside the door. I know everything.”<br/>Serena’s pupils shrank, and she froze in place, horrified that she had been found out. She turned her head away, unable to look at Sonia while trying to think about what to do. After a moment, she turned her head back to Calem’s godmother with an apologetic look.<br/>“I’m sorry,” she said. “You have to believe me when I say I didn’t mean for this whole thing to happen.”<br/> “I know you didn’t,” Sonia said with a comforting smile. <br/>Serena gave Sonia an appreciative look and said, “Look, you don’t have to do anything because I’m gonna tell them everything tomorrow.”<br/>“You misunderstand me. I don’t want you to tell them anything,” Sonia said.<br/>“What?” Serena asked.<br/>“You heard me,” Sonia said. “Do you remember last night when you said you’d never do anything to hurt the family?”<br/>Serena nodded.<br/>“Well, since they met you, they figure that they have Calem back,” Sonia said. “If you tell them the truth, you’ll basically take him away again.”<br/>“But I don’t know how long I can keep this up,” Serena protested.<br/>“You have to,” Sonia said. “The Ketchums need you just like you need them.”<br/>Serena opened her mouth to protest again, but she stopped for a moment and frowned, unable to discredit Sonia. The peach-haired woman gave her a sad smile, knowing that Serena was stuck in the situation.<br/>“Look, Serena, you’re a good person, and I know you’ll do the right thing,” she said.<br/>“How do you know?” Serena asked.<br/>“Because I believe in you,” Sonia said. “And I’m going to help you out any way I can. I promise.”<br/>Serena hesitated before she smiled and gave Sonia another thankful look. Sonia smiled back and patted Serena’s leg before she stood up and began walking to the door. She was two feet away before she suddenly turned back to Serena.<br/>“Oh, and by the way, how did you know about Calem…?,” she asked.<br/>Serena squirmed and said, “Trevor just happened to be coming to visit Calem yesterday and brought it up.”<br/>“Ah. Well, that’s lucky for the sake of keeping the secret,” Sonia said.<br/>“That’s not the word I would use,” Serena said.<br/>“Heh. No, I suppose not,” Sonia said. “Anyway, good night, Serena.”<br/>“Good night, Sonia,” Serena said.<br/>Sonia turned to Fennekin as she opened the door and said, “See you later, Fennekin.”<br/>“Fennekin,” Fennekin replied with a smile.<br/>Sonia closed the door behind her, and Serena waited for half a minute before she sighed and laid down on her couch again. She felt relieved that Sonia promised to help her, but it didn't make her any less worried about the situation. She then remembered that Tierno was inside her closet and walked over to let him out, but when she opened the door, she gave a look of disbelief and anger as she found Tierno holding a pair of her underwear.<br/>“What do you think you’re doing?!” she barked with her cheeks turning red.<br/>“I was just curious,” Tierno said with a nervous smile. “You have nice pink panties.” <br/>Serena’s anger grew as she snatched her underwear out of Tierno’s hand and grabbed his ear. The heavy-set man squealed as she dragged him toward the entrance.<br/>“Hey, let me go!” Tierno screamed. “I’ll tell my pop on you!”<br/>“And when I tell him what you did, he'll take my side!” Serena snarled as she opened the door. “Now get out of my apartment before I have Fennekin use Ember on you!”<br/>Serena yanked Tierno's ear one more time, forcing him out of the apartment, but before she could close the door, Tierno put his hand on the door and gave Serena a playful look.<br/>“You know, if you tell me what color underwear you’re wearing right now, I’ll put a good word for lowering your rent,” he said.<br/>By this point, Serena’s face was barn red with fury. She turned to Fennekin and screamed, “Give it to him!” The fox Pokemon wasted no time to unleash a blanket of small orange sparks of fire from its mouth. Tierno screamed in terror and moved away to avoid the sparks in the nick of time before he began racing down the stairs. <br/>Serena slammed her door shut with a bang and stormed back to her couch, where she covered her face with a pillow again to let out a scream of rage. She plopped back onto her couch, where she put her pillow on top of her head. Fennekin hopped onto the sofa to lick Serena’s hand, and she moved the pillow to give her Pokemon an appreciative smile. The two of them stared at each other in silence until there was a third knock on the door, instantly bringing back Serena’s irritation. <br/>“Who is it?” she asked.<br/>“It’s Ash,” Ash answered. <br/>Serena scoffed as she begrudgingly stood up and walked back to the door. She opened it to reveal Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder again and crossed her arms.<br/>“Hi,” she said bluntly. “Do you have any more questions?”<br/>Ash flinched and scratched the back of his head.<br/>“Actually, Pikachu and I wanted to apologize,” he said. “We were so quick to not believe you, and we got carried away.”<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said with its ears hanging low.<br/>Serena’s face softened, taken aback by Ash’s apology. She stayed silent for a moment before she eased up and let her arms down.<br/>“Well, in your defense, we don’t know each other very well, and I’m sure Tierno put me in a bad light,” she said. <br/>“True, but in retrospect, I think there was a point where the two of us should have stopped,” Ash said. “That, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we didn’t need to know about Calem…”<br/>“Yeah, I think we can all live without that knowledge,” Serena said, turning back to face Ash. “In any case, I appreciate your apology, and I accept it.”<br/>“Thanks,” Ash said.<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said with a smile. <br/>The two adults and the mouse Pokemon grew silent, making Serena unsure what to do. She cleared her throat and said, “Well, if there’s nothing else you have to say…”<br/>“Actually, we also came to give you an engagement present,” Ash said.<br/>Serena became uneasy and said, “Is this part of your apology?”<br/>“No, it’s from my mom, actually,” Ash replied. “It’s furniture. Do you want me to bring it up?”<br/>“Uh, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Serena said. “I think you should, uh, bring it up to Calem’s apartment.”<br/>“Why? You don’t even know what it is,” Ash said. <br/>“Um, well, you know, everything looks nicer in Calem’s apartment,” Serena said. “Besides, I don’t exactly have a lot of room for more furniture.”<br/>Ash looked past Serena’s shoulder to look inside her apartment and said, “Fair enough. Would it be okay if you come with me, though? I’ll need your opinion on where to put it.”<br/>Serena hesitated, not wanting to leave her apartment. She then thought about what Sonia said about the family feeling like she brought Calem back and considered how taking Delia’s present would help.<br/>“Sure,” she said. “I’ll go get my coat and hat.”<br/>“Great,” Ash said. </p><p> </p><p>********************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>After getting her coat and hat and saying goodbye to Fennekin, Serena, Ash, and Pikachu got inside Ash’s furniture truck and drove to Calem’s apartment. The three of them were silent, with Serena and Ash not knowing what to say to each other. They glanced at each other and smiled every now and then before Ash went back to focusing on the road. Pikachu hopped onto Serena’s lap and gave her a cute look that made her smile.<br/>“You can pet him if you want,” Ash said, smiling at Serena.<br/>The honey blonde woman smiled back before she began petting Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon squeaked in delight, making Serena giggle. She turned her eyes to Ash again while still petting Pikachu, and her smile grew.<br/>“Ash may be skeptical, but his heart’s in the right place,” she thought. “He seems friendly, and he cares a lot about his family. He must really care about his brother if he was so determined to prove I was cheating on Calem. I bet he would be a fun brother-in-law to have around.”<br/>Serena quietly giggled as she thought about Ash being her brother-in-law. Eventually, Ash parked next to the sidewalk, stopping a foot away from the red car in front of him. Serena looked at the small gap after she and Pikachu got out of the truck and gave Ash a concerned look.<br/>“I think you parked a little too close,” she said.<br/>“I had to. We need the space in the back to unload the furniture,” Ash said as he got out from the other side.<br/>Ash walked around the truck to the sidewalk, where he inserted coins in the parking meter. He then gestured to Serena to come to the truck's back with Pikachu following, where he unlocked the door with his keys.<br/>“Ready for your surprise?” he asked.<br/>Serena nodded, and Ash lifted the door up to reveal a blue loveseat strapped to the truck's wall. He helped Serena inside, where she examined the sofa closely. <br/>“Oh, it’s cute,” she said as she sat down on it. “And it’s really comfy too.”<br/>“Yup. Mom made sure you got the comfiest sofa in our inventory,” Ash said with a toothy grin. "Luckily, there weren't very many to look at, so she made the decision pretty quickly when we got home from the hospital. Right, Pikachu?”<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said. <br/>“You know, between the sweaters and stockings your mom had made for Fennekin and me, she seems to really like giving gifts,” Serena commented. <br/>“I don’t know about that,” Ash said. “I think she’s taken such a liking to you that she wants to show it as much as possible.”<br/>Serena’s smile softened a little, and she looked down, saying, “She has been kinda obsessed with me ever since we met.”<br/>“Heh. I’ll go for that,” Ash said. “Now, come on. Let’s get this inside. I’ll lift it up from the left side, and you take the right.”<br/>Serena nodded and stood up as Ash removed the belts. The two of them moved to opposite sides of the couch and carefully lifted it up. <br/>“Okay, here is the tricky part,” Ash said. “I’m going to get out of the truck while still holding the sofa up, and you’re gonna have to come down behind me. You think you can do that?”<br/>“Uh, I’ll try,” Serena said nervously.<br/>Ash chuckled, and they rotated the sofa so that Ash’s side was pointing at the exit. Pikachu watched beside the wall as Ash stepped out of the truck while still holding the couch up. Serena looked down at the floor, nervously as she carefully climbed down. With Pikachu following behind them, they carried the sofa to the building entrance, where they put the sofa down, and Ash opened both doors, giving Serena room to push the sofa inside. <br/>“Alright, We should be able to just push it all the way to the stairway,” Ash said. “Do you need help pushing?”<br/>“No, thanks,” Serena said with a confidant grin. “Think I can handle it.”<br/>Ash smirked as he watched Serena grunt while slowly pushing the sofa toward the stairway door. Serena could feel her arms and legs aching, having no experience pushing heavy objects, but she ignored the pain, refusing to back down in front of the raven-haired man. As she moved the love seat, an old man with brown glasses dressed as a doorman walked over to Ash. <br/>“Excuse me, mister, what apartment are you heading to?” he asked. <br/> “Apartment 2332,” Ash answered.<br/>The old man frowned and said, “I’m sorry, but guests have to be announced.”<br/>“Don’t worry. I’m with her,” Ash said, pointing at Serena, who is still pushing the sofa to the staircase.<br/>“And who is she?” the doorman asked.<br/>Ash looked at the doorman, confused, and asked, “You don’t know her?”<br/>“No, I don’t,” the doorman said. “Although I am new here.”<br/>“Ah, that might explain it,” Ash said. “She’s Calem Ketchum’s fiancee.”<br/>The doorman looked at Ash, surprised, and asked, “You mean she’s the one who saved his life?”<br/>“You heard about that, huh?” Ash asked.<br/>“Oh, yes, sir. They told me about her,” the doorman said. “They say she’s really something.”<br/>“Well, she is that. Right, Pikachu?” Ash said.<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said. <br/>The doorman smiled before walking over to Serena. By this time, she was almost at the staircase entrance, and the doorman walked ahead to open the door for Serena.<br/>“Thank you, mister,” Serena said.<br/>“Call me Gray, ma’am,” the doorman said with a friendly smile. “Always happy to help out the best I can.”<br/>Serena smiled back as she pushed the sofa inside the stairway. Ash and Pikachu came in behind her, and Gray closed the door behind them. <br/>“Alright, here comes the fun part,” Ash said. “Think you can carry this all the way to the twenty-third floor?”<br/>Serena chuckled nervously and asked, “Now that I think about it, why can’t we just take the elevator?”<br/>“There’s not enough room for the three of us and the sofa,” Ash answered. “Believe me. I’ve carried furniture in and out of buildings enough times to know.”<br/>Serena sighed in defeat and said, “Well, then I guess we have no choice.”<br/>Ash smirked as he and Serena lifted the sofa on opposite sides and started climbing up the stairs. Every couple of floors, Serena would ask for a break to rub her aching arms. After over half an hour, the two of them made it to the twenty-third floor and took one more break before lifting the sofa again and carrying it to Calem’s apartment with Pikachu still following. Serena unlocked the front door with Calem’s keys and opened it while Ash examined the doorframe, scratching the back of his head.<br/> “What’s wrong, Ash?” Serena asked.<br/>“The door is pretty narrow,” He said. “Getting this in might be difficult.”<br/>“Okay, so what do you want to do?” Serena asked. <br/>Ash hummed in thought and said, “Let’s try rotating the sofa on its back and then try to get it in.”<br/>Serena looked at Ash skeptically before deciding to trust the expert. The two of them lifted their respective sides of the sofa to rotate it so that it was on its back and then began making their way through the door. Unfortunately, they were halfway through the door before the sofa was stuck between the doorframe. Pikachu lowered its ears, concerned while it stood behind Ash.<br/>“Maybe we can angle it a little bit?” he suggested.<br/>“Uh, I think it’s wedged,” Serena said.<br/>“I see,” Ash said, looking down in thought. “Okay, stand back a bit, Serena? I’m gonna try an old trick.”<br/>“Oh? What kind of trick?” Serena asked. <br/>“Simple. I’m going to push it really hard,” Ash answered.<br/>Serena covered her mouth to hide a snicker and said, “Really? That’s all? You’re just gonna push it.”<br/>“Hey, you laugh now, but when all else fails, this gets the furniture in no problem,” Ash claimed.<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said with a hesitant look.<br/>“Alright, Mr. Expert. Impress me,” Serena said.<br/>“You got it,” Ash said with a proud grin. <br/>Serena took a few steps back and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Ash got down on one knee and pushed the sofa as hard as he could. Serena watched the raven-haired man smugly, enjoying his moment of humiliation.<br/>“Well? Aren’t you going to push it?” she asked.<br/>“Uh, I did,” Ash admitted.<br/>Serena giggled as she walked to her side, got down on her knees, and rested her arms on the sofa. <br/>“Would you like some help?” she asked in a singing voice.<br/>Ash lifted his head up to look at Serena and scratched under his nose as he said, “Uh, yeah, that would be great. I push, and you pull.”<br/>“Sounds great,” Serena said, smiling.<br/>The two of them stood up and grabbed their respective sides one more time. <br/>“Okay, on the count of three,” Ash said. “One, two, three!”<br/>Serena pulled with all of her might while Ash pushed with both hands and his shoulder. They kept it up until a part of the doorframe where the sofa was stuck broke, allowing the love seat to go through the door. Ash and Serena were so taken aback by the sofa suddenly moving in that Serena dropped her side of the sofa and moved so far backward that she knocked down a table in the living room. The flower vase on top of the table hit the floor with a crash, letting out dyed blue water into the white carpet. Serena covered her mouth with both hands in shock while Ash and Pikachu entered the apartment. <br/>“Oh, this is a problem,” Ash said.<br/>“You think?” Serena asked. “What are we going to do?”<br/>“Do you know if Calem has any stain remover?” Ash asked.<br/>Serena thought about it and said, “I’ll go look.”<br/>She rushed over to the kitchen and searched the cupboard underneath the sink, but out of all the house cleaning items inside, there was no stain remover. She checked the bathroom and the closet in the hallway, but she couldn’t find anything.<br/>“No stain remover,” Serena groaned in defeat. “Why does Calem have everything except stain remover?”<br/>Ash furrowed his brow and put his hand on his chin again in thought. <br/>“Pika, Pika, Pi, Pikachu,” Pikachu said.<br/>“Yeah, you’re right, buddy,” Ash said. “Its frubbles would help if it was still a Frogadier.”<br/>“If what was still a Frogadier?” Serena asked, confused.<br/>Ash’s eyes widened, and he waved his hands, saying, “Nothing. Not important. Don’t worry about it.”<br/>Serena frowned, unconvinced but decided to drop it, looking back at the broken vase.<br/>“So, what do we do now?” she asked.<br/>Ash scratched the back of his head again, unsure before he looked around the area, and gave Serena a smirk and a shrug.<br/>“I think we should put the sofa right here,” he said. <br/>“Here? Ash, this is a goofy place to place a sofa. It’s like a couple of feet behind the other sofa. It just doesn’t make sense,” Serena pointed out.<br/>“I know, but what Calem doesn’t know won't hurt him,” Ash said. “And hey, worst-case scenario, we could just say that his Meowstic did it. I mean, it’s not like Pokemon can talk.”<br/>Serena stared at the raven-haired man for a moment before she giggled with her hand covering her mouth. <br/>“Alright then, let’s do that,” she chortled. <br/>“Okay, I’ll go get the broom and dustpan,” Ash said. <br/>Ash walked over to the closet and took out the broom and dustpan while Serena threw the flowers away in the kitchen's trash can. By the time she walked back to where the vase fell, Ash was already sweeping the broken remains.<br/>But as he bent down while sweeping, the back of his jacket lifted up, and Serena saw six red and white balls attached to his belt. The honey blonde woman raised her eyebrow and smirked as the suspicion of her crush’s brother grew. She quietly walked behind Ash, making sure he and Pikachu didn’t notice her before she bent down and snatched one of the balls from Ash’s belt.<br/>“Hey, Serena, what are you -?” <br/>Serena ran from Ash with a devious grin, pressed the button at the center of the ball, and it expanded to the size of her hand. Before Ash or Pikachu could do anything, she flung the ball into the air, and it opened with a flash to reveal a Greninja standing in the middle of the living room. With a confused “Greninja,” the ninja Pokemon looked at its surroundings, while Ash froze in place. Serena’s smirk grew, and she crossed her arms at the raven-haired man and his Pokemon partner. <br/>“So, this is what used to be a Frogadier,” Serena said smugly. <br/>“It’s not what you think, Serena,” Ash said, waving his hands.<br/>“Ash, I’m not an idiot,” Serena rebuked. “I saw six Pokeballs on your belt. You’re a Pokemon trainer. Admit it.”<br/>Ash opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. He turned to Pikachu and sighed in defeat, saying, “Alright, you got me. I’m a Pokemon trainer.”<br/>“Thank you,” Serena said. “Now, why were you hiding it?”<br/>Ash scratched under his nose again and said, “Well, it’s a secret that I’m keeping from my mom.”<br/>“Why?” Serena asked.<br/>“Because I’m pretty much running the family business,” Ash answered. “While my mom is the boss, I’m the one who travels all over Kalos buying furniture. She looks to me to take care of things and gets upset when I don’t always get everything, not knowing that it’s because I’m Pokemon training on the side.”<br/>“Really?” Serena asked. “Can I see the rest of your Pokemon?”<br/>Ash hesitated before he shrugged and said, “Might as well.”<br/>He took four Pokeballs from his belt and expanded them before throwing them into the air. The balls opened to reveal a Talonflame, Noivern, Hawlucha, and a Goodra. Serena looked at the Pokemon in awe as they all looked very powerful.<br/>“How long have you been training these Pokemon?” she asked.<br/>“A couple of years,” Ash answered. “When I’m not training them on the outskirts of town, I’m training them on the road and collecting gym badges. As a matter of fact, the reason I wasn’t home for Christmas yesterday was that I stayed in Snowbelle City to get my final gym badge.”<br/>“Really? That’s great,” Serena said happily. “Does anyone else know about this?”<br/>“Just Dawn,” Ash answered. “She’s been helping me keep this a secret, but she wants me to tell Mom the truth soon, especially since the Kalos League is soon.”<br/>Serena’s smile faded, and she asked, “Will your mom really be that upset?”<br/>Ash frowned and nodded as he took a seat on one of the stools in front of the counter. Serena sat on the stool next to him. Pikachu hopped on Ash’s lap, and he started petting it, while the rest of his Pokemon looked at him with concern.<br/>“The thing is, the company used to be called Ketchum Mother and Sons, but after Calem left to go to law school, it became Ketchum Mother and Son,” Ash explained. “If I were to leave just so that I can feely go on Pokemon journeys…”<br/>“It would be just Ketchum Mother,” Serena finished.<br/>“Exactly,” Ash said. “As proud as Mom is of Calem for graduating law school and making a good name for himself as a lawyer, she’s still disappointed that she can’t continue to run her business with her two boys. I’m worried about what she’ll do if she finds out that I don’t want to be part of the family business either.”<br/>Serena gave Ash a sympathetic look while the raven-haired man pets his Pokemon partner on the head. She turned her head to look at Greninja, Noivern, Goodra, Talonflame, and Hawlucha. It was clear to Serena that Ash developed such deep bonds with his Pokemon that they felt their trainer’s concern for his mother learning the truth while also desiring to participate in the Pokemon league.<br/>“Then Dawn’s right. You have to tell her soon,” Serena said.<br/>“But, I’m worried about how she’s going to react,” Ash protested.<br/>“That doesn’t matter,” Serena said. “The longer you wait to tell the truth, the messier it’s going to be when it’s revealed. You either tell her before the Pokemon league, or she finds out on her own by watching you compete on the TV.”<br/>“Ugh, that sounds worse,” Ash said with a shudder. <br/>“Exactly,” Serena said. “And besides, you don’t have to do it alone. Pikachu and your Pokemon are with you, and I’m sure Dawn would want to help you if you just asked her.”<br/>“You think so?” Ash asked.<br/>“If she’s willing to support you by helping you keep this a secret for so long, I’m sure of it,” Serena said. “Tell the truth before it’s too late.”<br/>“Something you should have done days ago, you hypocrite,” Serena mentally told herself.<br/> Ash was silent as he stared at Pikachu while still petting it. The mouse Pokemon looked at him back, unsure of what its partner was going to say, and the rest of Ash’s Pokemon waited patiently. Finally, Ash raised his head and turned to Serena with a smile.<br/>“You’re right, Serena,” he said. “I’m gonna tell Mom the truth.”<br/>All six of his Pokemon simultaneously exclaimed cries of happiness.<br/>“When?” Serena challenged.<br/>Ash took a moment to think about it and said, “Uh, in two weeks.”<br/>“Two weeks?” Serena asked.<br/>“Yeah, if I’m gonna tell her with Dawn’s help, I’ll need her to help me practice what I have to say,” Ash explained. <br/>Serena gave a skeptical look and said, “That sounds like a long time to hold it off.”<br/>“I know, but I gotta make sure I’m ready,” Ash said. “This is the best way to do it. Honest.”<br/>Serena furrowed her brow and pointed her finger at the raven-haired man, glaring warningly.<br/>“Promise me that you will tell your mother by then,” she commanded. “I’ll check with Dawn to make sure you’re working on it if I have to, but I want your word that you’re going to do it by that deadline.”<br/>Ash leaned his upper body away from Serena as though she was about to hit him. He stood still for a moment before he said with a nervous tone, “You have my word.”<br/>Serena’s suspicious look turned into a cheerful smile, satisfied with his answer. <br/>“Good,” she said. “Now, let’s finish cleaning up and putting Calem’s new sofa under that spot.”<br/>“Don’t you mean yours and Calem’s sofa?” Ash asked.<br/>Serena froze in place, realizing what she said, and replied, “Yes. Sorry. I mean Calem’s and my new sofa.”<br/>Ash smiled before standing up with Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder and began returning his other Pokemon. Serena mentally kicked herself in the head for the mistake before she watched Ash go back to sweeping the remains of the vase. A small smile entered her face as she silently hoped that Ash would talk to Delia and that he could accomplish his dream.</p><p> </p><p>***********************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>After Ash and Serena placed the sofa where the case broke, the two of them took the elevator to the ground floor with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder again. However, as soon as they exited the building, Ash was shocked to find a green van parked only a couple of feet away from behind his truck, leaving him with no way to get his vehicle out of its parking spot between the two cars. Ash let out an annoyed grunt while Serena gave him a taunting look. <br/>"I told you not to park so close," she said. <br/>"Yeah, you did," Ash admitted. "Can you check the meter?"<br/>Serena nodded and looked at the parking meter next to the red car, while Ash and Pikachu looked at the meter next to the van.<br/>"The meter says six o'clock, so they can pretty much stay here all night," Serena said.<br/>"Same with the other one," Ash said. "Looks like we're sleeping in the truck tonight, Pikachu."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said with its ears hanging low. <br/>"I guess you will," Serena said. "Well, good night."<br/>Ash and Pikachu looked at Serena in disbelief as she walked past them without a care.<br/>"You're gonna leave us here with the truck?" Ash asked.<br/>"Pretty much," Serena said in a singing voice.<br/>Ash and Pikachu looked at each other again, dumbfounded before the raven-haired man ran over to Serena and stood in front of her.<br/>"Let me walk you home," he said.<br/>"Why?" Serena asked with a smug look.<br/>"For...protection," Ash said.<br/>Serena snorted and said, "I can take care of myself. Besides, it's Lumiose City. Nothing bad happens here."<br/>"That's what I thought too until Calem was almost mugged," Ash pointed out. "Who knows if that guy and his Weavile are still around? Plus, I have a well-trained Pokemon with me, and you don't."<br/>Serena frowned and thought about it for a moment before she accepted that he had a point. She smiled and said, "Very well, Mr. Ketchum. I will allow you to be my escort this evening."<br/>"Much obliged, my lady," Ash said with a bow.<br/>Serena giggled before the two of them walked side by side with Pikachu still riding on Ash's shoulder. The three of them were silent for several minutes until Serena started shivering.<br/>"Are you cold?" Ash asked.<br/>"Freezing," Serena said. "Aren't you?"<br/>"Nah. The jacket is reversible," Ash said. "Besides, this cold is nothing compared to the snowy mountains in Snowbelle City."<br/>"Well, I'm freezing my butt off," Serena said, rubbing her arms. <br/>"Then maybe you should look into getting a new jacket," Ash said.<br/>"No way," Serena said, hugging herself as if to protect the coat. "This is my father's."<br/>"Oh, in that case, he must be freezing more than you are," Ash said.<br/> Serena frowned and looked away sadly as she said, "Actually, he passed away three years ago."<br/>Ash flinched and looked away from her.<br/>"I'm sorry," he said. "Were you really close?"<br/>"He was my whole world," Serena said with a sad smile.<br/>"What was he like?" Ash asked, looking back at Serena.<br/>Serena took a moment to think about it and said. "Well, he was a lot like me: blonde hair, blue eyes, flat chest."<br/>The two adults and Pikachu snickered at her joke before Ash said, "Okay, let me rephrase that. "What do you remember most about him?"<br/>"Oh, that," Serena chortled. "Well, he liked to travel a lot. My mom was a Rhyhorn racer, so he traveled with her to every race she participated in before they had me."<br/>"Cool," Ash said. "I never heard of Rhyhorn racing. Did your mom teach you how to do it?"<br/>"No. She passed when I was very young," Serena said. "I don't know anything about her apart from my dad's stories. He would go on about all the things they did together while traveling or when she won the Lily of the Lake Grand Prix in the Sinnoh region back in 1986."<br/>"Wow, that's awesome," Ash said.<br/>"Yeah, Dad was very proud of her for that," Serena said. "He used to hear a place outside of Kalos on the radio and point to where exactly it was on his globe."<br/>"If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" Ash asked. <br/>"Ugh. I have no idea," Serena groaned. "I just want to go everywhere, or at least go wherever my parents have been. The problem is I can't afford to go anywhere. I do have my passport, though."<br/>"Good. That's very important," Ash said. "I actually have a passport myself."<br/>"Really? Have you ever used it?" Serena asked.<br/>"No, but I have it for when I tell Mom that I want to be a full-time trainer ," Ash said. "After I compete in the Kalos league, I want to travel the world and meet lots of Pokemon."<br/>"Pika, Pika," Pikachu cheerfully said.<br/>Serena finally turned to look at Ash and smiled, staring into his brown eyes.<br/>"You know, when you say it like that, you remind me of him," she said.<br/>"Oh, really?" Ash asked with a toothy grin. "So, you consider me the classy, hardworking type, eh?" <br/>"Yeah, I suppose you're a classy guy... Who just stepped in Pokemon poop," Serena said with a smirk. <br/>Ash looked at her confused before he looked down and saw a brown smudge on his right shoe. He groaned in disgust and scraped the poop onto the sidewalk, making Serena giggle again.<br/>"You're right. That's very classy," she teased. <br/>Ash chuckled nervously and scratched under his nose, while Pikachu snickered at his misfortune. Right as they finished laughing it off, the three of them made the turn on the street to Serena's apartment. However, they stopped before walking into the courtyard as they discovered that the pathway was covered in ice. Ash and Serena gave each other concerned looks before the former cleared her throat. <br/>"Well, I had a good time with you," she said. "You don't have to follow me the rest of the way."<br/>"No way, that ice looks too slippery to walk on alone," Ash said. "Besides, I made it this far as your escort, so I want to make sure you make it all the way to the front door safe and sound."<br/>Serena smiled, appreciative of the kind gesture, and said, "Very well. Escort me to the front door.."<br/>Ash grinned before turning to Pikachu  and said, "You better stay here, buddy."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a nod before hopping off of Ash's shoulder. <br/>Ash held out his hand to Serena, and she took it before they began slowly walking on the ice. They both took one step at a time, glancing at each other as they tried to stay in balance. Ash and Serena were halfway through the path; however, when Ash's right leg slid to the left, and he started to fall forward. Serena quickly caught him in time with her arms wrapped around his head, which landed on her shoulder, and he had his arms around her back. Serena struggled to hold Ash as her feet started to slip.<br/>"Please, don't take me with you," she said.<br/>"I'll try not to," Ash said. <br/>He regained his footing and slowly lifted himself up. The two adults tried to make another step, only for Serena to slip and spin and for Ash to catch her before she fell down on her back. The two of them laughed while the honey blonde woman kicked her legs into the air as her feet kept slipping from the ice.<br/>"This is ridiculous," Ash said. "You'd think someone would have kept people from needing to walk through the ice before we got here."<br/>"What about you?" Serena asked. "Couldn't you have had your Talonflame melt the ice or your Noivern fly us to the other side?"<br/>"Uh, now that you mention it, those do sound like ideas I could have thought of before we started walking through the ice," Ash admitted bashfully. <br/>"Doofus," Serena said. "Now hold still. <br/>Serena regained her footing and turned around to face Ash. She used his arms to climb up, but when she completely stood back up, her face was so close to Ash that the tip of their noses almost touched. Without realizing it, Ash and Serena stared at each other as though the other was the most exciting thing in the world. Ash pulled Serena closer to him, and she kept a firm grasp on his shoulders. Pikachu tilted its head, wondering why Ash and Serena were gazing at each other.<br/>Eventually, Serena realized what she was doing and snapped out of her gaze. With her ocean blue eyes looking away from him, Ash also snapped out of it, and he helped Serena turn around, facing the entrance. Unfortunately, before Serena could take another step, Ash slipped and fell down, taking Serena, who was still in his arms, with her. Ash landed on the ice, bottom first, and Serena landed right on top of him on her back. The raven-haired man groaned from landing on the hard ice and from Serena's entire body weight on top of him. <br/>"Ash, are you alright?" Serena asked.<br/>"That's it. We're using your idea," Ash grumbled. <br/>He took one of the Pokeballs out of his belt and tossed it into the air. The ball opened to reveal his Talonflame flying above Ash and Serena.<br/>"Talonflame, fly over the path and use your heat to melt the ice," Ash instructed.<br/>Talonflame nodded and dived toward the end of the path where Pikachu was. It turned around and flew over the cement with little sparks of fire coming out from its wings. Serena felt a gust of hot air as the Pokemon flew over her and Ash all the way to the front door. When Serena raised her head, she realized the ice on the cement had almost completely melted. <br/>"Wow. I didn't know Talonflame could melt the ice so quickly," she said.<br/>"Yeah, it's a good thing I learned that a Talonflame's wings give off showers of embers when it flies," Ash said. "Never thought I'd use that information for something outside of a Pokemon battle."<br/>Serena smiled until she realized that she was still lying down on top of Ash, and he still had his arms around her. Her cheeks heated up as she looked back up at the sky and cleared her throat.<br/>"Ash, you can let go of me now," she said. <br/>It took a second before Ash realized he was still hugging Serena and immediately let her go. Serena stood up and helped Ash stand up. He said a quick, "thank you," before he turned around to return Talonflame to its Pokeball. Serena looked away to shake off her blush until she heard Pikachu bursting with laughter, pointing at Ash. She turned to the raven-haired man, and she instantly covered her mouth, trying to contain a fit of laughter.<br/>"Ash, your jeans!" She chortled.<br/>Ash looked at Serena confused, having just attached Talonflame's Pokeball back onto his belt, before he looked at his backside and found a large hole on the right cheek of his pants, revealing his white boxers. His face turned beet red, and he tried to cover it with his hand, but the hole was too big. Serena looked away as her laughter grew louder, while Pikachu rolled on the floor on its back, still laughing.<br/>"I don't suppose you have any jeans I could borrow, Serena?" He asked.<br/>"Are you crazy? If you or any guy could fit into any of my clothes, I would kill myself," Serena replied. <br/>“Fair enough,” Ash said. “Well, at least our path is ice-free from here.”<br/>“You still don’t have to follow me all the way to the door, Ash,” Serena said. <br/>“I know, but I want to,” Ash said. “Plus, you block the wind, and my right cheek will need all the protection it can get.”<br/>Serena snickered and said, “Whatever you say.”<br/>The two of them walked the rest of the way to the entrance, with Pikachu deciding to follow behind. Once she was at the front door, Serena smiled and turned to Ash.<br/>“Thank you for escorting me home,” she said. “You were devoted to the end, brave sir knight.”<br/>Ash smirked and said with a bow, “A knight only does what is necessary for the princess he wants to protect, my lady.”<br/>Serena giggled again, amused with his performance, and asked, “Are you going to be okay trying to protect your bottom all the way to your truck?”<br/>“I hope so,” Ash said. “I could have my Noivern fly us there, but I hate to think all of the icy wind blowing there while my Pokemon flies so high in the air.”<br/>"That might not be the best decision, then," Serena said, snickering. "Anyway, I had a really good time with you."<br/>"Yeah, me too," Ash said. "I'll see you when I see you?"<br/>"Sounds good," Serena said. "Good night."<br/>"Good night," Ash said.<br/>"Good night, Pikachu," Serena said as she opened the front door.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a cute smile.<br/>Serena went inside the complex, and after closing the door, took a moment to let out a happy sigh. She walked up the stairs with a beatific smile, while the door to Mr. Walken's apartment opened to reveal Tierno, giving Serena a serious look. <br/>"Alright, Serena, I saw all of that, so make your decision," he said. "It's either him or me."<br/>“Him,” Serena said right away.<br/>Tierno flinched, and his confidence disappeared. He stammered for a moment before he tried to sound cool again.<br/>"Y-you don't have to answer right away. Give it some -"<br/>"Him," Serena repeated before she entered her apartment.<br/>As soon as she entered her living room, she found Fennekin napping on the couch. She pet the Pokemon on top of its head, careful not to wake it up before she got on the couch on her knees to look out the window behind it. She rested her arms on the top of the couch and watched Ash and Pikachu walking away. Pikachu was still snickering at Ash's misfortune, and Ash was telling it to stop while still having one hand on the hole in his jeans. Serena covered another set of giggles, careful not to wake up Fennekin as she watched the raven-haired man until he was out of sight. She rested her head on her hand, still staring at where she last saw Ash like a schoolgirl looking at the boy she admired from afar. <br/>Her smile faded as she realized what she was doing and how she was staring at Ash when their faces were so close together.<br/>"Oh, no."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Serena was out on her lunch break while Shauna covered for her. She left Thom Avenue station to go to the hot dog stand nearby to order her usual hotdog, chips, and soda, but while her stomach was looking forward to food, her mind was focused on Ash. Ever since she came home the night before, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Half of her wanted to reminisce on everything she did with him and Pikachu that night, but the other half of her wanted to drive out those memories as if they were impure thoughts.<br/>Serena moaned as she struggled with her mind, but when she took a turn to the street where the hot dog stand was, she found Iris and Axew sitting on a bench next to the stand. The purple-haired woman wrote on a clipboard with a can of soda standing beside her feet, while the tusk Pokemon sat next to her, happily munching on a hot dog. Seeing her boss as the key to her relief, Serena rushed over to Iris, who saw her running from the corner of her eye.<br/>"Hey, Serena. What's up?" She asked.<br/>"I'm having an affair," Serena spat out.<br/>Axew stopped eating it's hot dog and turned to Serena, confused, while Iris was unsure what she said.<br/>"An affair?" Iris asked. "What are you talking about?"<br/>"I like Ash," Serena confessed.<br/>"Ash? Who is Ash?" Iris asked.<br/>"He's Calem's brother," Serena answered.<br/>"Calem, the coma guy?" Iris asked.<br/>"Yes," Serena said.<br/>"So?" Iris asked.<br/>"So, Ash thinks I'm engaged to Calem," Serena said.<br/>Iris looked at Serena, baffled, and asked, "You're telling me that you now like the brother of your crush whose family thinks you're engaged to?"<br/>"Yeah," Serena said.<br/>"Serena, what are you doing to yourself?" Iris asked.<br/>"I don't know!" Serena whined. "What do I do, Iris?"<br/>"Tell the truth," Iris said.<br/>"I can't do that," Serena said. "Literally all of yesterday was meeting Ash, him being suspicious of me because of my landlord's idiot son, the two of us making up, and having a really nice time together. If I tell the guy I like that I have been lying to his family, after all, he will never speak to me again. Then there's Sonia…"<br/>"Sonia? Who's Sonia?" Iris asked.<br/>"She's Calem's godmother," Serena answered. <br/>"What about her?" Iris asked. <br/>"She knows the truth, but she told me not to tell the family because they see me as if I brought their son back by being a part of the family," Serena said.<br/>Iris stared at Serena, bewildered by what she had just heard. She put down her clipboard and stood up to face the honey blonde woman.<br/>"Serena, you are born into a family. You don't just become part of one like you become part of the marines," Iris said. <br/>"You're the one who told me to play along," Serena said.<br/>"Yeah, to keep them company, not to get lost into the lie," Iris said.<br/>"Then what should I do?" Serena asked. <br/>Iris looked away and scratched the back of her head before giving Serena a shrug.<br/>"Pull the plug," she said. "Forget your crush, forget your other crush, forget what the godmother said, just end it before it gets worse."<br/>Serena looked at Iris as if she told her to murder someone and said, "You are twisted."<br/>"I'm twisted? You're cheating on a vegetable," Iris said. <br/>"Ugh. That's it. I am done taking advice from you," Serena declared.<br/>The honey blonde woman stormed away toward the hot dog stand, not saying another word to her boss. Iris sighed and shook her head before she sat back down and turned to Axew.<br/>"I worry about her," said.<br/>"Axew, ew," Axew said. <br/>Serena bought her lunch and found a bench closer to the train station to sit on. She took a moment to let out her frustration over Iris with a loud sigh before she silently prayed thanks for her food and started eating. As she took a large bite of her hot dog, though, she thought about whether or not she should take Iris' advice. She knew that telling the truth would be the best thing on paper, but she didn't want to let down the Ketchums she was growing fond of. Serena then wondered if it was possible that she only thinks that she liked Ash just because she had a nice time with him. <br/>"Maybe if I spend more time with him, I might change my mind and just see him as Calem's nice younger brother," she thought. "If I want that to happen, though, I would have to see him again, and who knows when -"<br/>"Serena!"<br/>"Mr. Mime!"<br/>Serena turned her head to see Delia and Mimey walking over to her. Serena put her foot down and stood up just in time to receive a tight hug from Calem and Ash's mom. <br/>"Hi, Mom. How are you?" Serena greeted, used to calling Delia by that name at this point. <br/>"Better now that we found you," Delia replied. "Your co-worker told us you were on your lunch break, so we hoped you weren't too far away."<br/>"Mr. Mime," Mimey said with a nod. <br/>"Aw, how nice of you," Serena said. "Did you drop by just to say hi?"<br/>"Actually, that's just part of it," Delia said. "Did Calem ever say about when everyone's birthdays are?"<br/>"No, I don't know any of your birthdays," Serena said.<br/>"That's alright," Delia said, smiling. "I'm asking because Grandpa Ramos's birthday is this Wednesday."<br/>"The day before New Year's Eve?" Serena asked.<br/>"That's right," Delia said. "Now, I know it's only a couple of days away, but we're planning a birthday dinner for him, and we'd love it if you'd come."<br/>"Absolutely," Serena instantly replied.<br/>"Wonderful," Delia chirped. "In that case, I'm wondering if you can chip in fifteen dollars?"<br/>"What for?" Serena asked. <br/>"For tickets to Ula'ula Island," Delia explained. "Grandpa Ramos has always wanted to go to Malie Garden there, so we pitched in for two tickets for him to finally go see it and for Mimey to look after him while he's there."<br/>"Mime, Mime," Mimey said.<br/>"Aw, that's such a great idea," Serena said. "I'd be more than happy to pitch in."<br/>"Thank you, sweetie," Delia said. "We're gonna have it at seven just like with Christmas. You're more than welcome to bring Fennekin with you."<br/>"Sure. Fennekin would love that," Serena said as she took out her wallet and handed fifteen dollars to Delia. "We'll be sure to be there."<br/>"I'm happy to hear it," Delia said. "Anyway, we better let you continue your lunch break. See you on Wednesday."<br/>"Mime, Mime," Mimey said.<br/>"See you then," Serena said. <br/>Serena waved goodbye to Delia and Mimey as they walked away. As soon as they were out of sight, she let out a growl and hit herself on the head.<br/>"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She shouted in her mind. "Two days ago, you were uncomfortable about Mom - I mean, Calem's mom, inviting you to a family event, and now you accept an invitation just like that?! Maybe Iris is right. I am getting lost into the lie."<br/>Serena huffed and sat back down, going back to her lunch. She hastily ate the rest of her hot dog and washed it down with some of her soda before she opened her bag of chips. As she chewed on a handful of chips, however, her annoyed look softened into a look of curiosity.<br/>"Then again, Ash will be there."</p><p> </p><p>*******************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Come Wednesday evening, Serena and Fennekin were walking down the street to the Ketchum's house, wearing their family sweaters. The little fox Pokemon was smiling as it walked, looking forward to playing with the other Pokemon, but Serena's mind was on Ash. She hadn't seen him, or anyone else in the family since Delia invited her to the birthday dinner. The honey blonde woman wondered if she would have an opportunity to talk to him. <br/>The two of them took a turn at Jamison Drive and walked over to the front porch before Serena took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. They waited a few seconds before the door opened to reveal Ash wearing a red sweater with a gold "A" at the center. Serena immediately felt her cheeks turn pink from Ash suddenly appearing only a couple of feet away from her while he gave her a toothy grin.<br/>"Hey, Mom's right. You do like to be punctual," he said. "And you two decided to wear your family sweaters, huh?"<br/>"Well, Christmas wasn't too long ago, and it felt fitting since this is a family get-together," Serena said. "I see you're wearing yours too."<br/>"Yeah, Pikachu and I are wearing ours to make up for not being here for Christmas," Ash said. "Anyway, come on in. Everyone's waiting in the living room."<br/>Ash opened the door further to let Serena and Fennekin in. He took Serena's hat and coat, earning a sweet look from her before the two of them and Fennekin went into the living room. Fennekin immediately began playing with Mimey, Piplup, Yamper, and Pikachu, who was wearing a red-orange sweater with a gold "P" at the center, while Delia, Dawn, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos, who weren't wearing their family sweaters, got off from the couches to greet Serena. <br/>"Serena, welcome!" Delia greeted as she pulled Serena into a motherly hug. "And you and Fennekin are wearing your sweaters!"<br/>"Well, this is a family celebration not too long after Christmas, so I thought it was appropriate," Serena replied.<br/>"Aw, aren't you just the sweetest!" Delia exclaimed.<br/>Sonia gave Serera an approving look before she hugged the honey blonde woman, glad that she was still playing along. Dawn quickly followed, pulling Serena into a tight hug before leaning into her ear.<br/>"Ash told me about your suggestion," she whispered. "Don't worry. I'm gonna make him tell Mom even if I have to tie him to a chair."<br/>Serena broke the hug to smile at Dawn, saying, "Good. I hoped I could count on you."<br/>"What are sisters for?" Dawn replied with a wink. <br/>"Alright, alright, break it up, girls. Birthday boy wants a hug too," Grandpa Ramos said. <br/>"Of course, you do," Serena said before she hugged the old man. "Happy birthday, Grandpa Ramos."<br/>"Aw, shucks," Grandpa Ramos said, pretending to blush. <br/>"Alright, now that we're all here, let's go eat," Delia announced. <br/>The Pokemon immediately stopped playing and followed the humans to the dining room. Ash helped Dawn fill up bowls of food for the Pokemon before joining everyone else at the dinner table. Delia had Serena sit next to her again, while Ash sat opposite Serena, and Dawn sat next to him. Serena felt her heart skip a beat when Ash sat down and gave her another toothy grin after he sat down. Everyone grabbed hands, bowed their heads, and said grace before Delia lifted up the lid of the large pot standing at the center of the table. <br/>"Spaghetti!" Ash and Grandpa Ramos shouted with stars in his eyes. <br/>Serena snorted out a laugh before leaning over to Sonia, who sitting next to her on the other side. <br/>"I take it they love spaghetti?" She asked.<br/>"I don't know. Do they?" Sonia replied, making both women snicker. "Yeah, they love the stuff, and so did Red. It kinda runs in the family."<br/>"Ah, so that must be why we're having it for Grandpa Ramos's birthday, huh?" Serena asked.<br/>"Pretty much," Sonia answered. <br/>The family and Serena passed their plates to Delia, who filled them with spaghetti. Grandpa Ramos and Ash started inhaling their food until Delia told them to eat slowly in a motherly way. Serena smiled as she watched Ash eat smaller bites. She could tell that he wanted to eat faster, but he wouldn't dare disobey his mother. <br/>"I shouldn't find this to be cute, but I do," Serena thought. <br/>She quietly giggled as she picked up her cup to take a sip right as Delia decided to strike a conversation. <br/>"So, Serena, have you and Calem decided where you're gonna go for your honeymoon?"<br/>Serena choked on her water, which almost spurted out of her nose. She coughed violently for a moment before she put up a smile.<br/>"Excuse me," she said. "No, we haven't discussed it yet."<br/>"Seriously? Not only have you guys never traveled as a couple before, but you haven't even talked about where your honeymoon is going to be?" Dawn asked. <br/>Serena shrugged and said, "We just can't decide. There are so many places to choose from."<br/>"I can understand that," Delia said, smiling. "Red and I had our honeymoon in Anistar City. We went to see the Great Sundial when the sun was setting. I thought that crystal was beautiful-looking with that orange sky, but Red would say it wasn't as beautiful as me."<br/>"Aw," Serena said. <br/>"You know, Leon and I were planning to go to Wyndon, but that's coming from a Galar woman from little old Postwick," Sonia said. <br/>"My sweet Satine and I went to Coumarine City," Grandpa Ramos said. "We looked to see the Pledging Tree when it was lit up with tons of lights at night. Of course, we really would have loved to go to Alola to see Malie Garden." <br/>Delia and Serena looked at each other and covered their mouths to keep themselves from laughing, while Ash, Dawn, and Sonia smirked at each other. Grandpa Ramos looked up from his pasta and saw the way everyone was acting.<br/>"What's so funny?" He asked.<br/>"Don't worry about it, Ramos," Delia said. "By the way, Serena, do you think you could find a nice girl for Ash for me?"<br/>"Mom!" Ash said with his mouth full. <br/>Serena felt her cheeks heat up and kept her eyes on her food to avoid looking at Ash or his mother. <br/>"Well, I don't really know Ash's type," she said. <br/>Ash turned his eyes to Serena and saw her hiding her face with her hair. His cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as he wondered what was making her act so timid. He then looked around and realized everyone else at the table was waiting for him to respond. He stammered for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke as if his answer was no big deal.<br/>"I like girls with orange hair. Really skinny ones," he said.<br/>"Oh, I see," Serena said quietly, her eyes still on her food. <br/>But Dawn looked at her brother, confused, and said, "No, you don't, Ash. You like blondes."<br/>Serena stopped chewing and looked up to see Ash trying not to look embarrassed.<br/>"No, I don't," he said.<br/>"Yeah, you've always liked blondes," Dawn said. "Lilia, Bianca, Korrina, you've never tried to go out with any of them, but you liked looking at them. Where have you ever seen someone with orange hair?"<br/>"Uh, your friend, Zoey?" Ash answered, unsure. <br/>"Zoey's hair isn't orange. It's vermillion," Dawn rebuked. <br/>With his lie called out, Ash stuttered at his sister, unable to counter her. Serena looked down at her food again to hide another blush, feeling a glimmer of hope in her heart. Delia looked at her two children, confused, before she shrugged it off and turned to Serena. <br/>"Well, we all know who you're type is, don't we, sweetie?" she said.<br/>"Oh, Mom," Serena said, looking away from Delia with her face turning beet red.<br/>Delia giggled at Serena's reaction as though she had watched a little child do something cute. <br/>After another ten minutes, Serena, the family, and their Pokemon finished their food. Mimey, Piplup, Pikachu, and Fennekin left the dining room to go back to playing in the living room. Ash and Grandpa Ramos sat back on their chairs and sighed as they pat their bellies.<br/>"Man, you make the best spaghetti in the world, Mom," Ash said. <br/>"My grandson is right, Delia. Your cooking always was one of the reasons why I'm happy my son married you," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"Oh, I know it was," Delia said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And there's cake and ice cream next, but first, it's time you opened your present."<br/>"Present? Oh, now you didn't have to do that. I'm too old to be getting birthday presents," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"Not to us, you aren't, Grandpa Ramos," Dawn said. <br/>Delia stood up from her seat and left the dining room for a minute before coming back with an envelope. She walked over to Grandpa Ramos's seat and handed the envelope to him. The old man looked at the envelope curiously before opening it and took out two plane tickets and a pamphlet for Malie Garden. Grandpa Ramos hung open before looking up at a grinning Delia. <br/>"Is this what I think it is?" He asked. <br/>"It sure is," Delia answered. "You and Mimey are gonna fly to Ula'ula Island in March, where the two of you are going to see Malie Garden."<br/>The old man's face lit up as he smiled widely as if he was a little boy with the toy he always wanted. <br/>"I don't believe this," he said. "How could you have afforded this?"<br/>"We all chipped in for the tickets, including Serena," Dawn said. <br/>Grandpa Ramos put his hand in his heart and said, "Oh, bless you all." <br/>He stood up to give Delia a hug before moving around the table to hug Dawn, Ash, Serena, and Sonia. When Grandpa Ramos hugged Serena, he gave her a tighter hug and whispered, "Thank you, granddaughter." Serena felt a pinch in her heart for the title she didn't deserve, but she kept her smile to show that he was happy for him. When Grandpa Ramos finished hugging everyone, Delia left the room for a moment and came back holding something behind her back.<br/>"Now, this isn’t a birthday gift, Grandpa Ramos, but I thought you'd be happy if I picked now to show everyone this," she said. <br/>She moved her hand from her back to reveal the picture of the family, Serena and Fennekin standing behind the Christmas tree in a frame. Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Sonia exclaimed words of happiness as they walked over to look at the picture better. Serena stayed at the dinner table and smiled as she watched everyone else take turns looking at the picture. <br/>"Look at them so happy," she thought. "I wonder if this is like this for every Christmas photo they take."<br/>Her gaze then turned to Ash, who was walking to her with a smirk. She felt her cheeks heat up again as he stood next to her.<br/>"Nice picture," he said.<br/>"Yeah, it is," Serena said. <br/>Ash's smirk turned into a devious grin, and he said, "And you know what? You're right. You're not very photogenic."<br/>Serena frowned and hit Ash's arm with her hand, making the raven-haired man laugh. </p><p>***********************************************************************************************</p><p>After Delia showed the new photo to everyone, she hung it up on an empty spot on the hallway wall between other family photos. Everyone went back to the living room, where the Pokemon were still playing, and began playing board games. When Serena saw that it was 10:25, she decided that it was time for her and Fennekin to head home. She called a cab and continued her Pachisi game with Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Ash until the taxi arrived.<br/>"You sure you can't come for New Year's?" Delia asked as the family walked Serena and Fennekin to the front door. <br/>"Sorry, but I already have plans with some of my coworkers," Serena replied. <br/>"Oh, that's a shame," Grandpa Ramos said. "Then we'll see you in the new year."<br/>"Yeah, I'll see you all in the new year," Serena said. <br/>Serena put on her hat and coat before giving Delia, Grandpa Ramos, Sonia, and Dawn each a hug. When she finished, Ash opened the door for her, and she gave him a kind look and took a step outside before Dawn spoke. <br/>"Look, you guys, you're under the mistletoe!"<br/>Ash and Serena looked at the blunette woman confused before they looked up and saw mistletoe hanging above the door frame. Serena felt her cheeks heat up again, and Ash chuckled nervously.<br/>"Well, go on, you two. Kiss," Sonia said.<br/>Serena's cheeks turned redder, and she said, "We don't have to do that."<br/>"Yes, you do. It's tradition," Dawn said. <br/>"But, it's not Christmas anymore," Ash said.<br/>"Doesn't matter," Sonia said.<br/>"Yes, it does," Ash said.<br/>"Why don't we let the birthday boy decide?" Delia suggested. <br/>Everyone turned to Grandpa Ramos, who scratched his chin, pretending to think about his decision. <br/>"Well, if it's up to the birthday boy, I say don't just stand there, boy! Kiss her!" He declared. <br/>Serena and Ash look at each other with nervous grins. The honey blonde women's cheeks had turned beet red while the raven-haired man was scratching the back of his head. They gulped simultaneously before Serena reluctantly took a step closer to Ash, and he tilted his head and leaned in toward her.<br/>When their lips were inches apart, Ash and Serena paused for a moment to brace themselves before they closed their eyes and went for the kiss. Serena's heart was beating rapidly, and her blush covered her entire face at the gentle feel of Ash's lips. When Ash released the kiss, she immediately turned her head away from everyone to hide her cherry-red face. Delia and Dawn said, "aw," simultaneously with the auburn-haired woman's hands clasped together. Sonia watched with a playful grin, while Grandpa Ramos smirked as if to silently say, "atta boy." Ash gave his family a bashful grin before Serena collected herself and turned to face the family.<br/>"Well, good night," she said, struggling to keep a calm face.<br/>"Good night, Serena," Delia, Dawn, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos replied.<br/>"Mime mime," Mimey said.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>"Arf arf," Yamper barked.<br/>"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.<br/>Serena turned to Ash, and her cheeks turned pink again as she hastily said, "Bye."<br/>"Bye," Ash said with a smile. <br/>Serena briefly smiled back before she and Fennekin went outside and headed to their cab. The family waved goodbye until the car was out of sight. Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Sonia then went back to the living room with Piplup and Yamper to continue the game, while Delia and Mimey went to the kitchen to wash dishes. <br/>However, Ash kept looking at where he last saw the cab for half a minute before he closed the door. He then walked down the hallway to where the new family photo was hanging and stared at it. Pikachu stood next to him by his legs, looking at its partner curiously. Ash turned his gaze to a picture of him and Calem from twelve and fourteen years old, respectively, and snickered.<br/>"Hey, Pikachu, do you remember back in the sixth grade when kids like Kiawe and Burgundy would challenge me to a Pokemon battle where the winner takes the loser's lunch money?" He asked. <br/>Pikachu looked at its partner, confused until it remembered what Ash was talking about and nodded. <br/>“Pi. Pika, Pika, Pikachu,” it said. <br/>“Yup. No matter how hard they tried, we were always the ones to leave the battle with the other person’s lunch money,” Ash said with a toothy grin. <br/>Pikachu smirked and shook its fist in the air, proudly shouting, “Pika!”<br/>Ash laughed at his partner’s boastful response and said, “Yeah, those kids had no idea what they were doing. Of course, eventually, the teachers found out, and we got sent to the principal’s office and then went home to get an earful from Mom.”<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said.<br/>For several seconds, Ash and his partner were silent, reminiscing their younger years, until the raven-haired man spoke again.<br/>“After the principal finished rebuking us, he said, ‘Why can’t you be more like your brother, Calem? Always focusing on his studies and not wasting time on Pokemon battling?’' Ash said. “Back then, I was perfectly alright with that. After all, Pokemon battling has always been my passion, and I was proud of Calem. He was the one with the straight A’s, the spelling bee trophies, heroically saving those Skwovet, and so many girls chasing after him, and all that jazz. I was never envious of anything that Calem had.”<br/>“Pika, Pika,” Pikachu said, smiling.<br/>Ash gave his Pokemon a smirk and a nod before turning his head to look at the new family photo. His smirk disappeared as he gazed at Serena standing in the middle, holding Fennekin while Delia had her arm around her. He let out a heavy sigh as he stroked the picture where Serena was, thinking about the kiss.<br/>“Until now.”</p><p> </p><p>**************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Back in Calem’s apartment, Meowstic was napping in one of the kitchen cupboards again. The phone suddenly rang for several seconds until it stopped with a click and Calem's voice came out of the speaker. <br/>"This is Ketchum. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you."<br/>*Beep*<br/>“Calem? Hi, it’s Miette. Is your answering machine working? Look, I’m going to fly to Kalos soon, and I’m shocked you haven’t called me back. I’d really like to hear from you about us getting married, and I’d like to see my Meowstic when I make it to Lumiose City in a couple of days. Call me, my sweet fiancee.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late afternoon on New Year’s Eve, and Serena and Shauna were in their booth, collecting fares. Thom Avenue station was busier than usual, with people and Pokemon taking the train to grab food and party supplies for New Year parties or on their way to meet friends and family for the holiday. Occasionally, they would have lines because so many people and Pokemon needed to get on a train at once. Both token collectors became eager for their shifts to end, Shauna so that she can set up her own New Year party, and Serena so she can crash on her bed for a few hours before going to Shauna's party.<br/>Eventually, passengers' rush died down to a steady pace, allowing Serena and Shauna to ease up. Serena sighed and rested her head on the wall while looking at the clock, saying that it was only 4:13. Only forty-seven minutes left until her shift was over. While Serena stared at the clock, two customers stood in front of her window, putting tokens under the slot, and she heard a familiar voice.<br/>“Excuse me, regular fare, please.”<br/>Serena turned her head to the window, and her face lit up to find Dawn giving her a friendly grin with a woman her age with spiky vermillion hair standing behind her. <br/>“Dawn, what are you doing here?” she asked.<br/>“Oh, we’re heading to the movies before we go home to celebrate New Year’s,” Dawn said before turning to the woman behind her. “This is my friend, Zoey.”<br/>“Nice to meet ya,” Zoey said.<br/>“Nice to meet you too,” Serena said. “Do you guys want to come in?”<br/>“Really? We can?” Dawn asked.<br/>“Sure, come on in,” Serena said.<br/>Serena pressed the button to let Dawn and Zoey through the gate and opened the door to the booth to let them in. Shauna turned around from her seat, confused with Serena allowing customers inside.<br/>“Hi, who are you?” she asked.<br/>“I’m Dawn, and this is Zoey,” Dawn answered.<br/>“How do you two know Serena?” Shauna asked.<br/>Serena opened her mouth to answer, but then she froze in place like a statue, and her eyes widened as she realized that she hadn’t told Shauna about the misunderstanding. Dawn noticed Serena struggling, so she smiled and decided to speak for her.<br/>“I’m Serena’s fiancee’s sister.”<br/>Serena looked away from everyone and groaned while running her fingers through her hair. Shauna looked at Dawn with her mouth wide open and turned to Serena.<br/>“Serena, you’re engaged?!” she shouted. “You never told me about this.”<br/>Serena turned to her coworker with a forced grin and said, “Well, it hasn’t really been announced.”<br/>“I can vouch for that. Our whole family didn’t find out until Christmas Eve when she saved Calem,” Dawn said.<br/>“Dawn, please stop talking,” Serena whined mentally.<br/>“Calem, the coma guy?” Shauna asked. “You were engaged to him this whole time, and you never told me?”<br/>“Well, there never was a good time,” Serena lied. <br/>“A good time? We work at the same booth five days a week,” Shauna said. “How has there not been a good time?”<br/>Serena hesitated until she saw the train coming. She mentally thanked the Lord and said, “Hey, would you look at that? The train’s here.”<br/>“Oh, yeah. We better get going,” Dawn said. “Catch you later, Serena.”<br/>“See you, Dawn,” Serena said. “Nice meeting you, Zoey.”<br/>“Likewise,” Zoey said with a smirk. <br/>Dawn and Zoey opened the door and began exiting the booth. Shauna took this as her opportunity to walk over to Serena’s side of the booth and demand answers.<br/>“Serena, are you pregnant?” she asked.<br/>Serena rolled her eyes, and sarcastically said, “Yes, Shauna, I’m pregnant.”<br/>Neither token collectors noticed Zoey looking at Serena curiously, having overheard Serena’s response before closing the door. Shauna looked at Serena in disbelief and put her hands on both sides of the honey blonde woman’s face.  <br/>“Serena, you gotta give me details!” she demanded as she shook Serena’s head. “Details, details, details, details, details!”<br/>“Shauna, cut it out!” Serena shouted as she grabbed Shauna’s hands and pulled them away from her face. “I’m not pregnant. You have to have sex to be pregnant, and I can assure you that Calem and I have never come close to having sex.”<br/>“But, I thought you are engaged!” Shauna shouted.<br/>Serena paused before she stuttered, “W-w-well, we’re waiting.”<br/>“Waiting?” Shauna asked.<br/>“Yes, waiting,” Serena claimed. “His family is catholic, so we’re not doing anything until after we get married.”<br/>“You’re waiting because his family’s catholic? Are you serious?” Shauna asked, dumbfounded. “Serena, I’ve seen how gorgeous that dude is. If I were you, I would’ve hit that by now.”<br/>Serena frowned and said, “Shauna, I’m not that kind of woman, so can we just drop this, please?”<br/>Shauna crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, displeased with Serena’s response. She then raised her hands up as a way of saying, “Alright, have it your way,” before she went back to her seat. Serena sighed heavily again before she rested her head on the counter, and covered her face with her hands. <br/>“Why does this keep happening to me?” she muttered.</p><p> </p><p>******************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>It was half-past nine in the evening. Delia, Mimey, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos were sitting on one of the couches in the living room, watching the New Year Eve celebration in front of Lumiose Tower on the TV, standing next to the fireplace. The four of them were snacking on chips, dip, soda, a large tray of vegetables and fruit, and a container of cream puffs. Piplup, Yamper, and Pikachu were playing next to the Christmas tree. As she was eating a plate of chips and dip, Delia let out a sigh that made Grandpa Ramos smirk.<br/>“You wish Serena could’ve come tonight, aren't you?” he asked.<br/>“I am,” Delia admitted.<br/>The old man shook his head and said, “Delia, you’re getting obsessed with that girl. She has a life outside of us, you know.”<br/>“I know, but I love having her around,” Delia said. “Serena’s such a sweetheart, and I wish Calem found her sooner. I just love seeing how much she’s become part of the family in such a short amount of time.”<br/>“I hear that,” Sonia said.<br/>“Mime, Mine,” Mimey said. <br/>As the four of them went back to watching the TV, Ash walked into the living room on the phone. He was smiling as he said goodbye to the person he talked to before he hung up and gave his mother a proud look.<br/>“Took a little negotiating, but I got the St. Germain Estate in the bag,” he announced.<br/>“Great job, Ash,” Delia praised.<br/>“Atta boy, Ash,” Sonia said. <br/>“Good work, my boy,” Grandpa Ramos said. <br/>Just then, the front door opened, and Dawn and Zoey came in, hastily putting away their coats before coming into the living room.<br/>“Ah, there you two are,” Sonia said. “What kept you?”<br/>“We decided to get some milkshakes and talk about the movie before taking the train back,” Dawn said. “But that’s not important. Zoey discovered something huge when we were waiting for the train at Serena’s station.”<br/>Delia, Mimey, Grandpa Ramos, Sonia, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, and Yamper all turn to Dawn and Zoey. The vermillion woman smirked and waited a couple of seconds to keep the family in suspense before she spoke.<br/>“Calem’s fiancee is pregnant.”<br/>“WHAT?!” Delia shrieked. <br/>Sonia looked at Zoey concerned and asked, “What are you talking about? Serena’s not pregnant.”<br/>“Is too. Zoey heard it from Serena’s own mouth,” Dawn said. <br/>“That’s right. When we were about to board the train, I overheard her coworker asking if she was pregnant, and she said yes,” Zoey said.<br/>Delia looked at Zoey in disbelief for a moment before she looked down and put her hand on her heart. <br/>“First, we find out Calem didn’t tell us that he’s engaged, then he doesn’t tell us that I’m going to be a grandmother?” She asked in shock. “What am I going to do with those two?”<br/>“Mr. Mime,” Mimey said as it took Delia’s hand with both hands for support.   <br/>“This is unreal,” Grandpa Ramos said. “Ash, did you know anything abou - Ash?”<br/>Everyone turned to where they last saw Ash, only to find that he was no longer there. The next thing they heard was the sound of the moving truck turning on and driving away.</p><p> </p><p>*************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Back at Serena’s apartment, Serena was in the bathroom combing her hair, having just taken a shower and gotten dressed in a white blouse and a black skirt. Fennekin was watching her do her hair while sitting down in front of the bathroom door. Serena checked to make sure her hair was straightened out before turning to her Pokemon partner. <br/>“Alright, I’m about to head out,” she said. “Now, are you sure you don’t want to come, Fennekin? There’s going to be other Pokemon that you can play with at the party.”<br/>“Fennekin,” Fennekin replied with a nod.<br/>“Alright, if that’s what you want,” Serena said. <br/>Just then, there was a knock on the door to her apartment. Serena peaked from the bathroom door and asked, “Who is it?”<br/>“It’s me, Tierno,” Tierno replied from the other side of the door.<br/>Serena squirmed and bit her lip before she hesitantly asked, “I’m not here?”<br/>“Nice try. I know that trick,” Tierno said.<br/>Serena muttered under her breath before she walked over to the door. She undid the lock and opened the door to reveal Tierno holding a bouquet of flowers. <br/>“Ta-da,” he said. <br/>“What are these for?” Serena asked. <br/>“This is me apologizing for claiming that we’re dating,” Tierno said. “And I was wondering if maybe...I could move in with you?”<br/>Serena smiled and shook her head, feeling sympathetic for how much her landlord’s son was a lost cause.<br/>“They’re beautiful, but I can’t accept them, and I don’t want to move in together,” she said.<br/>“Are you sure?” Tierno asked. “I betcha my old man would knock 50 bucks off of rent at least.”<br/>“That sounds like a pretty low cut off rent,” Serena said. “I would think your dad would want to cut off way more than that for you.”<br/>Tierno frowned and said, “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”<br/>Serena responded with a look of pity that confirmed the heavy-set man’s accusation. Tierno’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms while still holding the bouquet.<br/>“It’s that other guy, isn’t it?” he asked.<br/>“What do you mean?” Serena asked.<br/>“Come on. I see the way you look at him,” Tierno said.<br/>Serena stared at Tierno, confused, and asked, “How exactly do I look at him?”<br/>Tierno shrugged and said, “I don’t know. You look at him like you saw a Pokemon do something adorable or something.”<br/>“I’m not following,” Serena said. <br/>Tierno sighed in defeat, not knowing how else to explain it to Serena.<br/>“Look, just take the flowers,” he said glumly. “You can lay them on my coffin someday.”<br/>“Oh, hey, don’t be like that,” Serena said. “You’ll find somebody.”<br/>“When?” Tierno challenged. <br/>“Someday,” Serena replied. “You just need to learn how to better behave around women. You should really talk to your father about it.”<br/>Tierno turned his head away from Serena with a hesitant look. Then, he shrugged and said, “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”<br/>“Good,” Serena said.<br/>The two of them were quiet for a few seconds before Tierno held the bouquet up to Serena and said, “Here, take them anyway.”<br/>Serena smiled and said, “Thank you,” as she took a step towards Tierno and leaned in for a hug. Tierno smiled and hugged her back, his cheeks turning pink. Unknown to either of them, Ash was standing at the bottom of the staircase, watching them. He looked at Serena with a sad look from the way that she was hugging the fat man. He quietly exited the building before the two of them noticed just as Tierno was about to speak.<br/>“Hey, Serena?”<br/>“Hmm?”<br/>“Are you wearing pink underwear?”<br/>Serena slapped Tierno upside the head, and he whimpered in pain as he held the back of his head.<br/>“Talk to your father, pervert!” she shouted before she slammed the door shut. <br/>Tierno rubbed the back of his head and walked down the steps to his and his dad’s apartment. After he closed the door, Serena slowly opened her door to make sure the coast was clear before she put on her hat, coat, and boots, grabbed a bottle of champagne, and exited her apartment. She took a deep breath to calm herself before going down the stairs and went out the front door. She was halfway through the courtyard before she noticed the moving van parked on the sidewalk, and Ash was pacing with his hand on his chin in thought.<br/>“Ash,” she said.<br/>Ash turned to Serena, forced a smile on his face as he said, “Serena, hi.”<br/>“What are you doing here?” Serena asked.<br/>“I...was coming to see you,” Ash replied before noticing the bottle of champagne. “Are you heading to a party?”<br/>“Yeah, my coworker, Shauna, is having a New Year party,” Serena said.<br/>“Well, then let me drive you,” Ash said.<br/>“Oh, no, thank you. It’s just two blocks away,” Serena said.<br/>“Alright, then I’ll walk you there,” Ash said.<br/>“Why?” Serena asked.<br/>“Because,” Ash replied. <br/>Serena looked at Ash, concerned, finding his behavior odd. She sighed and said, “Okay,” before the two of them started walking together. Ash and Serena were silent for most of the walk to Shauna’s party, with the two of them glancing at each other.<br/>“Ash, is everything okay?” Serena asked.<br/>“Of course,” Ash lied. “Why wouldn’t it be okay?”<br/>“You’re acting a little weird,” Serena answered.<br/>“Weird? I’m not acting weird,” Ash said.<br/>“Yes, you are,” Serena said.<br/>“No, I’m not,” Ash said. <br/>Serena gave Ash a suspicious frown and decided to drop it. The two of them took a turn to an apartment complex and went up the stairs to the fourth floor. They walked down the hall to the door at the very end, and Ash decided to speak.<br/>“So, what about Calem?” he asked.<br/>“What about him?” Serena asked as she knocked on the door without looking at Ash.<br/>“Well, Calem is going to have a lot to deal with when he wakes up,” Ash said. <br/>“Yeah, well, he’s not the only one,” Serena said.<br/>“I know. That’s the point,” Ash said.<br/>Serena turned to Ash, wondering what he was getting at, but at that moment, the door opened to reveal Shauna in a green dress. The sound of loud music and people talking and laughing could be heard behind her. <br/>“Serena! Glad you can make it!” she shouted as she pulled Serena into a hug.<br/>“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this,” Serena said.<br/>The two women broke the hug, and Shauna turned to Ash and gave him a flirtatious smile.<br/>“Well, hello handsome,” she said. “Who might you be?”<br/>“I’m Ash. I’m Serena’s fiancee’s brother,” Ash replied.<br/>“Ah, I can see the resemblance,” Shauna said. “Come on in.”<br/>Ash and Serena entered the apartment, and Shauna took their hat and coats. The three of them entered the living room where people and Pokemon wore New Year hats while they ate, drank, and talked. Some of them were dancing to the music and blowing their noisemakers. Iris was talking to an old couple with Cilan before she noticed Serena coming in and walked over to her.<br/>“Serena. Glad that you can make it,” she said before she noticed Ash talking to Shauna. “Who is that with you?”<br/>“That’s Ash,” Serena answered.<br/>“Oh...wait. Who is Ash again?” Iris asked.<br/>“Calem’s brother,” Serena answered.<br/>Iris looked at her, confused, and asked, “Calem’s the one who is in a coma, right?”<br/>“Yes,” Serena answered.<br/>“So, why did you bring Ash?”<br/>“I didn’t bring him. He followed me here.”<br/>“So, Ash is the fiancee?”<br/>“No, Calem.”<br/>“But Calem doesn’t know that you exist.”<br/>“I know.”<br/>“So, Ash is Calem.”<br/>“Kinda.”<br/>Iris shook her head, dumbfounded, and said, “Serena,”<br/>“What?” Serena asked.<br/>“They have doctors for this sort of thing!” Iris shouted.<br/>Without another word, Iris walked away to rejoin Cilan in talking with the older couple. Serena rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath before she walked over to the food table and put her bottle of champagne next to the other bottles of alcohol. She took a cup and filled it with alcoholic fruit punch just as Ash was coming in. The raven-haired man was shocked by what she was doing and rushed over to her. <br/>“Serena, that’s spiked,” he said.<br/>“Thank God,” Serena said.<br/>“You shouldn’t have any,” Ash said.<br/>Serena frowned and said, “Ash, last time I checked, I’m over twenty-one, I had a long day at work, and I deserve a drink or two.”<br/>Ash frowned angrily and said, “Serena, you really can’t have any.”<br/>“Why not, Ash?” Serena challenged.<br/>“Because it’s not good for the baby!” Ash yelled.<br/>Immediately, the apartment went quiet, apart from the music playing. Serena looked at Ash in shock with her mouth hanging open. She turned to the crowd staring at her with her cheeks turning red in embarrassment.<br/>“You’re pregnant?” Iris asked.<br/>“When did this happen?” one of the party-goers asked.<br/> “I never pegged you for that kind of person, Serena.” another one said.<br/>“Wait, hold on,” Serena said. “It’s not true.”<br/>“Oh, really?” Ash asked in a suspicious tone, like a cop interrogating someone. <br/>“Yes, really,” Serena said. “There is no baby.”<br/>“That’s not what Dawn said,” Ash said.<br/>“What are you talking about?” Serena asked. <br/>“Dawn and Zoey heard you saying that you are earlier today,” Ash said.<br/>“And you believed them?” Serena asked.<br/>“Of course,” Ash said. “Why would I not believe her?”<br/>The crowd gasped, appalled by his response. Serena stared at Ash in disbelief before her shock turned into anger. She threw her drink at Ash’s face, stormed to the entryway, grabbed her coat and hat, and exited the apartment, slamming the door behind her. The place was silent apart from the music again as Ash stood in place for a moment before he grabbed some napkins from the table and started wiping the fruit punch from his face. He finished getting it off just in time to see Shauna walk over to him and slap him on the head. <br/>“Ow! What did you do that for?” he asked.<br/>“You’re a jackass,” Shauna said. “Serena really isn’t pregnant. I asked her if she was, and she said yes, sarcastically.”<br/>Ash froze in place, realizing what he had done. Without saying another word to Shauna, he rushed over to the entryway to grab his coat and hat and exited the apartment. He went down the steps to the ground floor as quickly as possible and went outside to find Serena running back to her apartment complex. Ash ran after her and caught up just as she made it to the courtyard. <br/>“Serena!” he called out.<br/>“Go away, Ash!” Serena shouted, not looking at him. <br/>“Just wait a minute! Will you?!” Ash shouted.<br/>“No!” Serena yelled.<br/>Ash caught up and stood in front of Serena. She tried to move around him, but he stepped in her way. She huffed, irritated, and crossed her arm while giving the raven-haired man a stern glare.<br/>“What do you want?” she snarled. <br/>Ash scratched the back of his head and said, “I’m sorry.”<br/>“Sorry is not going to cut it,” Serena growled. <br/>“Look, it’s just a big misunderstanding,” Ash said. “I mean between this and the Tierno thing -”<br/>“Excuse me?” Serena asked. <br/>Ash stammered, realizing his mistake, and said, “Nothing.”<br/>“No. Not nothing,” Serena said. “What Tierno thing?”<br/>Ash hesitated and said, “I just happened to come and see you, and I saw you and him with the flowers and the leaning thing.”<br/>“The leaning thing? Ash, what are you talking about?” Serena asked. “Is it suddenly wrong that I hugged him because he gave me flowers?”<br/>“No, he gave you flowers, and then you leaned,” Ash said.<br/>Serena looked at Ash skeptically for a moment before she sighed and dropped her arms.<br/>“Okay, I’ll bite. How did I lean?” she asked.<br/>Ash took a moment to think about it before he stepped closer to Serena.<br/>“Well, leaning is a lot different from hugging,” he said.<br/>“In what way?” Serena asked.<br/>Ash scratched under his nose before taking another step closer to Serena, standing only two feet away from her.<br/>“Well, hugging involves your arms and hands,” he said. “Leaning, on the other hand, is your whole body moving like this.”<br/>He took another step toward Serena, and she backed away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable until her back was up against the wall. Ash put his hand on the wall on Serena’s left side and leaned his body closer to her. The honey blonde woman felt her cheeks warming up from the guy she liked standing so close to her, suddenly forgetting that she was mad at him. <br/>“See? Leaning means wanting and accepting,” Ash continued. “Leaning is something more acceptable because…”<br/>“Yes?” Serena asked.<br/>Ash opened his mouth to finish his sentence, but he stopped himself, suddenly feeling shy. Serena eagerly waited for him to finish, and the raven-haired man tried to think of a subtle way to answer until Tierno came out from the front door, wearing a New Year hat.<br/>“Hey, Serena, is this guy bothering you?” he asked.<br/>With the moment broken, Ash stepped away, and Serena’s blush quickly disappeared. Ash looked away from her, embarrassed, while Serena turned to Tierno.<br/>“No. No, he’s not, Tierno,” she said.<br/>“Are you sure? Cause from what I saw from the window, it looked like he was leaning,” Tierno said.<br/>“Thank you, Tierno,” Ash said, suddenly happy that the heavy-set man proved his point.<br/>Serena snickered at Ash’s sudden change in demeanor and said, “Don’t worry, Tierno. Nothing is going on.”<br/>Tierno frowned, unconvinced, and said, “If you say so, but if you need me, I’ll be in my apartment.”<br/>“Okay, thank you,” Serena said.<br/>Tierno put two of his fingers in a V-shape in front of his eyes and then pointed them at Ash. He went back inside the building, and Ash and Serena looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.<br/>“Okay, so what about the other misunderstanding?” Serena asked. “Why did you say you had no reason to believe Dawn when she said I was pregnant?”<br/>“Well, because she’s my sister, and I trust her,” Ash said. “She has never lied to me, so I saw no reason to think she was wrong.”<br/>Serena frowned and asked, “So, you think the only reason your brother would want to marry someone like me is if I was pregnant, right?”<br/>“What? No!” Ash shouted, waving his hands defensively. “No, of course not.”<br/>“Really?” Serena challenged. “Cause between the accusations when we first met and you instantly believing Dawn, it sounds like you don’t really believe that Calem would want to marry me for me.”<br/>“It’s not like that,” Ash protested. “It’s just that...well…”<br/>Serena’s frown deepened, and she demanded, “Well, what? Spit it out! You’ve made it this far, you might as well -”<br/>“It’s just that you’re not really Calem’s type,” Ash spat out.<br/>“Not his type?” Serena asked, crossing her arms again. “Alright, then whose type am I?”<br/>For the second time, Ash opened his mouth only to stop himself. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was still uncomfortable with saying it while still thinking Serena is engaged to his brother. Serena looked at Ash, hurt, taking his silence as a sign that he didn’t think she was anyone’s type. <br/>“Fine,” she said. “I see what you’re saying. Thank you for the vote of confidence.”<br/>“Wait, no, that’s not it,” Ash said. “Serena, it really is a great idea that you and Calem are together. It’s just not obvious to the whole world.”<br/>Serena felt a pain in her heart again, taking what he was saying as an insult. She walked away from Ash, not bothering to say good night until he stood in front of her again before she could reach the front door. <br/>“Wait, I’m sorry,” he said. “That didn’t come out right.”<br/>Serena huffed and asked, “Alright, seriously, Ash, what do you want from me?”<br/>“I want you not to be unhappy,” Ash answered. <br/>“And what are you? The happiness guru?” Serena asked. “For that matter, are you happy, Ash? Because last time I checked, you still haven’t had a conversation with your mom about what you really want to do with your life. Do you want to leave the business, or is all that just another miscommunication between us?”<br/>Ash frowned and said, “Hey, what do you really know about my family? Spending a week with them does not make you an expert.”<br/>“And spending a lifetime with them hasn’t made you one either,” Serena countered. <br/>“Yeah? Well, I do know keeping the family happy gets complicated,” Ash said. “After all, would your father be happy knowing that you’re sitting in a token booth dreaming about vacations that you aren’t taking?”<br/>Serena gasped softly, crushed by Ash’s words. She felt her eyes beginning to water, and she hung her head to hide the tears with her hair. Ash squirmed, instantly regretting what he said.  <br/>“I’m sorry,” He said. “That was out of line.”<br/>“No, you’re right,” Serena said, fighting the tears. “My dad wouldn’t be happy that I’m not following my dream. But even so, you don’t know what it’s like to be alone, Ash.”<br/>Ash looked at her, confused, and said, “But you have Calem, right?”<br/>Serena was silent for a moment until she looked up at Ash and shook her head, tears beginning to run down her face.<br/>“No, I don’t,” she said. “I don’t have anybody.”<br/>Without another word, Serena walked past Ash and went inside the complex. Ash stayed in place, looking at where Serena was standing and wondering what she meant. Putting it in the back of his mind, he hung his head, ashamed of everything he said that hurt Serena. He heard the sound of people inside the building counting down before shouting, “Happy New Year,” and started blowing their noise makers. He turned his head to the front door, staring at it as though Serena was standing in front of it.<br/>“Happy new year,” he whispered.<br/>He walked over to his moving truck, got in, and took a moment to sigh before he turned on the ignition and drove away. Meanwhile, Serena went inside her apartment and leaned her back against the door. With a sniffle, she wiped the tears off her face and walked over to the couch, where Fennekin was sound asleep. She briefly smiled and gently petted her Pokemon, trying not to wake it up. Her frown soon returned, and she sat down next to Fennekin, her head hung low as she thought of Ash.<br/>“Happy new year,” she whispered.</p><p> </p><p>*********************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Over at the hospital, Dr. Proctor, Joy, the other doctors and nurses, and a couple of Wigglytuff at the ICU were drinking champagne and singing “Auld Lang Syne.” One nurse and doctor kissed each other while they were side-hugging. The Wigglytuff took turns hugging everyone, wearing New Year hats and glasses.<br/>But over in Calem’s room, one of his fingers started to twitch. He let out a moan and shifted his body before his eyes slowly opened. The first thing he saw was the white ceiling, and then he looked down and saw that he was on a hospital bed. He jumped into a sitting position, starting to panic over where he was. The heart monitor beeped rapidly as he turned to the people and Pokemon celebrating outside of his room.<br/>“Hey! Hey! Over here!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was half-past midnight when Serena got a call from Dr. Proctor, telling her to come to the hospital right away. Worried that something serious had happened, Serena left her apartment with her coat and hat still on and rushed to the hospital as fast as she could. When she entered the building, she found Delia pacing in front of the elevator. The auburn-haired woman looked as if she was struggling to keep herself from screaming in joy. Delia noticed Serena from the corner of her eye, and her face lit up. <br/>“Serena, you made it!” she exclaimed. <br/>“Yeah, I did,” Serena said, walking over to Delia. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”<br/>“The best thing happened!” Delia shouted. “Calem woke up!”   <br/>Serena froze like a statue. Her eyes shrunk until they were little dots, and her stomach dropped. She opened her mouth to speak, but all she could utter were incoherent words. Delia giggled at her reaction, thinking Serena was so struggling to express her joy over the news.<br/>“I can’t believe it myself,” Delia said. “Just one week, and he’s awake. It’s a miracle.”<br/>“Y-y-yeah, what a miracle,” Serena said, having found her voice. “Does everyone know?”<br/>“Yes, everyone is waiting for you,” Delia answered. “We’re all going to visit him as a family.”<br/>“Oh...great,” Serena said with a forced grin. “I can’t wait.”<br/>“Neither can I,” Delia said. “Now, come on. Let’s go.”<br/>Delia grabbed Serena’s hand and dragged her to the elevator. The honey blonde woman resisted the urge to panic, not knowing what to do. She imagined Calem saying that he doesn’t know her, and within an instant, the family would hate her and tell her to get out within a blink of an eye. But above all else, she was worried about what Ash would do when he found out. She was still heartbroken over what Ash said to her, but she didn’t want him to find out she lied. She would have liked to make up with him in the future and maybe try to get closer to him, but it looked as though her hopes were just minutes away from being crushed. <br/>The elevator door opened, letting Delia and Serena into the ICU. Serena’s worry grew as she saw Grandpa Ramos, Mimey, Sonia, Dawn, and Piplup outside Calem’s room. Dawn was the first to notice Serena and Delia walking over to them, and she ran over to give the honey blonde woman a hug. <br/>“Serena, you made it!” she shouted. <br/>“Uh, yeah, I came as soon as Dr. Proctor called me,” Serena said.<br/>“That’s great to hear. Now we can all go in together,” Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>“Yes, let’s go,” Delia said.<br/>“Mr. Mine,” Mimey said. <br/>“Piplup,” Piplup said. <br/>With Delia still holding Serena’s hand, everyone went inside Calem’s room. Dr. Proctor was standing next to Calem, who was sleeping soundly on his bed. Serena’s fear grew, and she turned to Sonia with a plea for help. The peach-haired woman gave her a frown, not knowing what to do, which instantly discouraged Serena. With everyone standing in front of the bed, Dr. Proctor shook Calem’s shoulder, waking him up.<br/>“Calem, your family is here,” He said.<br/>Calem opened his eyes and lifted his head. The first thing he saw was Delia giving him a heartfelt smile. He then turned his head to see Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, and Sonia smiling at him. His gaze then turned to Serena, who forced a smile on her face, acting as if nothing was wrong. Calem’s gaze then turned to Grandpa Ramos, giving Serena a hint of hope until the light black-haired man instantly turned back to her. She mentally whimpered as Calem gave her a puzzled look.<br/>“Who are you?” he asked.<br/>All eyes turned to Serena, making her heart sink again. Her fake smile disappeared, and she turned to the family, feeling highly strung. She bit her lip and mentally prepared herself for everyone apart from Sonia to put everything together. Delia looked back and forth between Calem and Serena before her eyes widened, and she stared at the wall in a state of shock. <br/>“Oh my gosh,” she said. “He’s got amnesia.” <br/>At that moment, Calem passed out. Grandpa Ramos, Mimey, Dawn, and Piplup looked at Delia, surprised, instantly thinking she was right. Serena looked at Delia dumbfounded and turned to Sonia, relieved that the worse didn’t happen. Dr. Proctor, on the other hand, looked at Calem befuddled as if he said random words.<br/>“Doctor, is it true?” Grandpa Ramos asked. “Does this mean Calem has amnesia?”<br/>Dr. Proctor gave the old man a skeptical look before he put his hand on his chin in thought. <br/>“Well, he seemed to recognize all of you except Serena,” he said. “It’s too soon to say, but he might have lacunar amnesia.”<br/>“Lacunar amnesia? What does that mean?” Dawn asked.<br/>“Lacunar amnesia is a condition in which memory loss is localized and patchy, limited to isolated events,” Dr. Proctor explained. <br/>“So, you’re suggesting Calem as selective amnesia?” Delia asked. <br/>“Basically,” Dr. Proctor answered. <br/>Delia put her hand on her mouth and looked at Calem worryingly as though he was back in a coma. Mimey rubbed her back for support. Dawn and Piplup looked at each other with the bluenette holding her Pokemon tight, struggling to believe what they heard, while Grandpa Ramos looked down at the floor, downcast. <br/>Serena looked at the family with her heart filled with guilt. It looked to her that the lie was going too far, with the family thinking Calem had amnesia. She considered telling the truth now to discredit the belief before it got any worse. Sonia would disapprove of the idea, but to Serena, she may as well have fulfilled her role to act as if the family got Calem back before he woke up from his coma. She still didn’t want to end things with the family or Ash, but at least this way, they would be happy that nothing was wrong with his brother's brain. After debating with herself, Serena decided that it was time to end everything once and for all.<br/>“Actually, everyone, there’s something that you should know,” she said.<br/>Everyone turned to her again, curious about what Serena had to say. She shut her eyes, grabbed the ends of her coat, and took a deep breath before she started her confession.<br/>“The truth is I was never -?<br/>“Pregnant? We know,” Grandpa Ramos interrupted.<br/>Serena looked at Grandpa Ramos, confused, and asked, “What?”<br/>“Ash told us when we called him to come here,” Grandpa Ramos said. “I think it’s great that you and Calem haven’t done anything yet.”<br/>“Agreed. As much as I'd love to be a grandmother, I'm glad that you two haven't done anything out of wedlock,” Delia said. <br/>Serena looked at Delia, surprised, not knowing how to respond. At that moment, she forgot about telling the truth, and her mind went to thinking about Ash. She looked away from Delia to hide a small smile.<br/>"Ash, there you are," Dawn said.<br/>Serena's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around to see Ash entering the room with Pikachu on his shoulder. As soon as he noticed Serena, however, he immediately looked away to say hi to his family. Serena felt a pain in her heart as it became clear that he didn't want to talk to her. <br/>"Hi, everyone," Ash said as he hugged his mother while Pikachu jumped onto the bed. "Did I miss anything?"<br/>"You sure did," Dawn said. "Calem's got selective amnesia."<br/>Ash and Pikachu turned to the blunette woman, confused, and the former asked, "What are you talking about?"<br/>"He forgot about Serena," Grandpa Ramos said. "He recognized all of us except her."<br/>Ash looked at Serena, who gave him a nervous smile. <br/>"You're kidding," he said before turning to Dr. Proctor. "Is that a real thing?"<br/>"Yes, it is," the doctor confirmed. <br/>Dawn then gasped and said, "Wait a minute, Ash, you and Pikachu weren't here. Maybe he forgot about either or both of you too."<br/>"Pika!" Pikachu shouted worryingly. <br/>Serena's unease grew, and she turned to Sonia, who gave her a shrug as if to say, "play along." Just then, everyone heard Calem groan, and they turned to him to see him wake up again. He adjusted his eyes and turned to his mother again, who walked over to his side and began patting his head with a motherly smile.<br/>"Hi, Cay-Cay," she said. "How are you feeling?"<br/>"Okay, I guess," Calem said, unsure. "Having a hard time believing I've been in a coma since Christmas Eve."<br/>"I'll bet," Delia said.<br/>"Heya, champ," Ash greeted with a smirk. "Remember Pikachu and me?"<br/>"Of course, I remember you two, Ashy-Boy," Calem answered, smirking back.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu sighed in relief. <br/>"You know I hate that name," Ash said before turning to Serena. "Do you remember her, though?"<br/>Calem looked at Serena, who forced another smile on her face. The man with light black hair looked at her blankly for a few seconds before he turned back to Ash.<br/>"Should I?" He asked.<br/>"Look more closely, my boy," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>Calem turned back to Serena and looked at her as though he were studying a painting. Serena blushed as it hit her that the guy she was crushing on was looking at her intently. After several more seconds, Calem squirmed and turned to his mother.<br/>"She looks familiar, I guess," he said.<br/>Delia's smile grew, and she said, "I think it's coming back to him already."<br/>"Coming back to me? What's coming back to me?" Calem asked. "What's going on?"<br/>"You have selective amnesia, sweetheart," Delia answered. <br/>"I do?" Calem asked in shock.<br/>"Yeah, you forgot that you're engaged," Dawn said.<br/>"I'm engaged? To who?" Calem asked. <br/>"To Serena," Grandpa Ramos answered. <br/>"Who's Serena?" Calem asked. <br/>Grandpa Ramos frowned and said, "He doesn't remember."<br/>Calem looked at his grandfather in a state of panic. Dr. Proctor cleared his throat and said, "Okay, I think Calem's had enough excitement for one night. I'll have Joy get him some Jell-O, and then let him sleep."<br/>"Jell-o? Do I like Jell-O?" Calem asked. <br/>"Are you kidding? You were addicted to the stuff when we were kids," Ash said with a toothy grin. <br/>"Oh, boy, do I remember that," Dawn said.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a nod.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped. <br/>"Okay, we better head home then," Sonia said. <br/>"Hang in there, Calem," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"We'll see you in the morning, Cay-Cay," Delia said before kissing Calem's forehead.<br/>"Okay, Mom," Calem said with a smile before he frowned and looked away, muttering, "It is 'Mom,' right?"<br/>The family and Serena exited the room with Pikachu hopping back on Ash's shoulder and walked over to the elevator. After pressing the down button, Delia turned to Serena and asked, "Would you like a ride home, sweetie? Ash could drive you there if you want."<br/>Ash instantly became uncomfortable and said, "I don't think Serena wants a ride home, Mom." <br/>Seeing this has her chance to show that she's not upset anymore, Serena spoke up, saying, "No, that's all right. I would appreciate a ride from you, Ash."<br/>Ash turned to Serena, surprised, and she smiled at him to assure him that it was okay. The raven-haired man eased up and smiled back.<br/>"Alright, then I'll be happy to do that," he said.<br/>"Great," Serena said. "But first, I'd like to speak to Sonia alone for a moment of its alright."<br/>Knowing what was on her mind, Sonia smiled and said, "Absolutely."<br/>"Perfect. We'll be right back," Serena said.<br/>Serena took Sonia's hand and led the older woman to the other side of the floor, where the family could not see them. She looked back to make sure before she dropped her happy demeanor and turned to Sonia.<br/>"Sonia, what are we going to do?" she whined. "I don't want them trying to make Calem remember something that never happened."<br/>"Don't worry, Serena. I'm going to take care of everything," Sonia said calmly.<br/>"How?" Serena asked. <br/>"I'm going to tell them everything," Sonia answered.<br/>"Really?" Serena asked with hope in her voice. "Are you sure you want to do that?" <br/>"Absolutely," Sonia said with a reassuring smile. "I'm too close of a friend for them to be angry at forever. I'll explain how this was all a misunderstanding and that I told you not to say anything. They'll understand why you did everything you did, and forgive you, no problem."<br/>"You promise that they'll forgive me?" Serena asked. <br/>"Cross my heart and hope to die," Sonia replied while crossing herself with one hand and holding up the other. <br/>Serena sighed in relief and walked over to hug Sonia. The peach-haired woman smiled and pet Serena's head while hugging her back. The two of them held the hug for a couple of minutes before Sonia cleared her throat.<br/>"Anyway, you better get home. I assume you have work in the morning again," she said. <br/>"Yeah, you're right," Serena said. <br/>Serena walked back to where the family was waiting for her and Sonia cheerfully. Sonia smirked at the honey blonde woman as she followed behind, secretly glad that Serena didn't notice her crossing her fingers behind her back.</p><p> </p><p>************************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>After saying goodbye to everyone, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu got on the moving van, and Ash began driving toward Serena's apartment complex. The three of them were silent, with both adults struggling to think of what to say to the other. Just like before, they would glance at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Pikachu, who was sitting between them, looked back and forth between them in confusion, having no knowledge about their last conversation. <br/>Ash drove to the sidewalk next to the complex and set the truck on park. Serena bit her lip and decided to speak her mind. <br/>"Listen, Ash, I want to say that you've been really great over the past several days," she said.<br/>"Great?" Ash asked. "You mean when I accused you of lying to everyone or having a relationship with Tierno? Or perhaps when I said you were pregnant in front of your friends just a couple of hours ago or so?"<br/>Serena covered her mouth to hide a snicker.<br/>"I guess you have been a little productive," she said.<br/>"Yeah, I'd say so," Ash said, looking away from her, ashamed. <br/>Serena played with her fingers, trying to figure out what she was going to say next until she remembered Sonia promising to tell the family the truth, and began to wonder how Ash would react. She wanted to believe that everyone, including Ash, would forgive her, and she could still see him, but deep down, she was still scared that he wouldn't want to talk to her again. Ultimately, Serena decided that if there was any time to say something to him that might soften the blow, now was the time.<br/>"Ash, starting tomorrow - or rather in the morning, things are going to be very different," she said. "But no matter what happens, I want you to know that you've become…"<br/>Serena stopped herself before she finished the sentence. Ash turned to look at her again, waiting for what she was going to say. The raven-haired man and his Pokemon partner watched in anticipation as Serena fought the urge to tell the honest truth. Serena's hands turned into fists before she said the best thing she could think of.<br/>"You've become a very good friend."<br/>Serena mentally kicked herself on the head. Ash felt a pinch in his heart while forcing himself to smile. Pikachu smiled warmly at Serena, clueless about how Ash and Serena were feeling. Serena sighed through her nose and opened the door to get out. <br/>“Well, good night,” she said. “Good night to you too, Pikachu.”<br/>“Pikachu,” Pikachu said. <br/>“Wait, Serena,” Ash said.<br/>Serena turned to Ash with a hint of hope in her eyes. The raven-haired man hesitated and said, “I didn’t mean what I said about you and Calem. I think you two are going to make a terrific couple, and I’m glad that you’re not going to be alone anymore.”<br/>Serena resisted the urge to show her disappointment and smiled appreciatively at Ash.<br/>“Thank you,” she said.<br/>“You’re welcome,” Ash said. “Also, I’ve decided that I’m going to tell my mom that I want to become a full-time Pokemon trainer in the morning.”<br/>“Really? But it hasn’t been two weeks,” Serena said.<br/>“I know, but I thought about what you said earlier, and I decided I shouldn’t wait,” Ash said. “The next time we see each other, Mom will either hate me or accept that I no longer want to be a part of the family business and that I’m going to compete in the Kalos League.”<br/>Serena smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll hold you to that. I want to know exactly how it went, so don’t disappoint me.”<br/>“I won’t. That’s a promise,” Ash said with a toothy grin. <br/>Serena nodded and turned to Pikachu.<br/>“Make sure Ash talks to his mom. Okay, Pikachu?”<br/>“Pikachu!” Pikachu replied. <br/>Serena giggled at Pikachu’s enthusiasm. She turned back to Ash and said, “Well, good night,” before she finally got out of the truck.<br/>“Good night, Serena,” Ash said. <br/>With that, Ash set the truck on drive and drove away. Serena watched until the truck was out of sight before she began walking toward the front entrance, ready to go to bed. However, her smile turned into a frown as she walked for not having the courage to tell Ash what she wanted to say. <br/>“Maybe there’s hope yet,” she thought. “After all, when Sonia tells everyone that Calem and I are not engaged, I won’t have to pretend that we’re an item. If I’m really lucky, Ash won’t hate me for deceiving him, and that could be my chance to tell him.”</p><p> </p><p>*************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p> A few hours later, it was eight o'clock on New Year's Day morning, and Delia was at home sitting in the dining room. She was sipping a hot cup of coffee while reading the newspaper with a serene smile on her face. As she was reading through the obituaries, she heard the door to the front door open, and she looked up from her paper with a curious look.<br/>“Ash? Is that you, sweetie?” she called out.<br/>“And Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup,” she heard Dawn say.<br/>The auburn-haired woman smiled as she heard her son and daughter walk over to the dining room with their Pokemon. Ash was holding a box of doughnuts while Dawn was carrying a tray of cappuccinos and some napkins. <br/>“Doughnuts? What’s the occasion?” Delia asked.<br/>“Well, it’s the new year, so we thought we’d all have something sweet for breakfast,” Ash said. “Plus, it seemed like a nice way to celebrate that Calem’s awake too.”<br/>“Aw, aren’t you two sweet?” Delia said. “I have such loving, caring children.”<br/>“Well, the past several days have been the kind of time where the two of Serena and us have to be so caring,” Dawn said as she and Ash sat on opposite sides of the table, and Piplup and Pikachu hopped on top of it.<br/>“That’s true. It comes to show how life can be very trying, but at the same time, you have to be thankful for all of the good stuff,” Delia said. “You work hard, try to provide for the family, raise your children to the best of your ability, and then for one minute, everything is good. Everyone is well, Calem’s amnesia aside, everyone is happy, and in that one minute, you have peace.”<br/>Ash resisted the urge to flinch at his mother’s words. He turned to Dawn, who flicked her hand, palm down, as a way of saying, “Get going!” The raven-haired man sighed and turned to Pikachu, who gave him an encouraging smile before he turned back to Delia.<br/>“Mom, this isn’t that minute,” he said.<br/>“What do you mean?” Delia asked.<br/>Ash took a moment to think of how best to respond, and asked, “Do you remember when Pikachu and I would have Pokemon battles with some of the kids in school?”<br/>Delia rolled her eyes and said, “Are you kidding me? When the principal told me that you were Pokemon battling for lunch money, I hit the roof. It drove me crazy how you were wasting time on Pokemon battles when you should have been focusing on your studies.”<br/>“Yeah, well, this kid who was wasting so much time on battling has been putting it into good use,” Ash said. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve been catching some Pokemon and training them. I have a full team that consists of Pikachu, a Greninja, a Talonflame, Noivern, Hawlucha, and a Goodra. I’ve used some of my business trips to win gym battles all over Kalos, and I recently earned enough badges to compete in the Kalos League next month.”<br/>Delia looked at Ash bewildered and said, “Goodness, you’ve developed quite a hobby, haven’t you?”<br/>“It’s...not a hobby, Mom,” Ash said. "It's something I want to do full-time."<br/>Delia's face fell, and she asked, "Wait a second. Are you saying you don't want to be in the family business anymore?"<br/>"No, I don't," Ash said.<br/>"You've been thinking about this for a couple of years?" Delia asked.<br/>"Actually, I've been thinking about this a lot longer than that," Ash confessed. "As in before Pikachu and I were Pokemon battling in school."<br/>Delia stared at her son, flabbergasted. She turned to Pikachu, who gave her a nod, and then to Dawn, who was looking at her brother proudly.<br/>“And you knew about this, Dawn?” Delia asked.<br/>Dawn froze in place, realizing she had been found out before turning to her mother with a nervous grin.<br/>"Y-yeah, I did," she said.<br/>Again, Delia stared at her daughter in shock for a moment before she looked away to contemplate what she heard. Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup looked at each other, wondering what Delia was going to do. After half a minute, Delia scoffed and shook her head before turning to Ash with a smile.<br/>"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?" She asked. "I could have sold it to your Aunt Rebecca for twice it's value. I would have retired by now and be on a cruise with Mimey."<br/>Ash looked at his mother, befuddled and asked, "Wait. So, you're not angry?"<br/>"Angry? Don't be silly," Delia said with a smile. "On second thought, you're already silly. You're a Pokemon trainer."<br/>Ash stood still for a moment before he turned to Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup. The edge of his lips curled up, and he burst into a fit of laughter. His sister and the Pokemon took a moment before they began laughing too, letting out their relief. Delia kept her smile as she watched the four of them laugh until they were out of breath. <br/>"So, the Kalos League, huh?" She asked. "You think you're ready for that?"<br/>"I am now," Ash said with a smile. "And, I've been training my Pokemon in my spare time, so we should be prepared to crush the competition, no problem."<br/>"Well, since I'll have to run the business by myself, you'll have even more time to train," Delia said. "So, I better see you make it very far into the tournament, young man. Do you understand?"<br/>"Yes, Mom," Ash answered.<br/>"Good," Delia said. "And now that we have that out of the way let's eat some doughnuts."<br/>"Sounds good to me. I'm starving," Dawn said. <br/>"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed. <br/>"Piplup!" Piplup chirped. <br/>Ash gave everyone a toothy grin and opened the box of donuts. Dawn handed everyone a napkin to use as a plate and passed a cappuccino to Ash. After Ash gave everyone a couple of donuts, the five of them began eating happily without a care in the world. As he munched on a long john, Ash felt as if the world had gotten brighter now that he and his mom were on the same page at last.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late in the afternoon, Serena was at work, and Ash was using his new free time to train his Pokemon. Meanwhile, Sonia was taking a cab to the hospital with a mischievous look in her eyes. Since she fake promised Serena, the peach-haired woman devised her own plan to fix the situation. She thought of trying to convince Serena to play along with what her scheme was but decided against it. Sonia Penelope Magnolia of the Galar region was on a mission, and that mission required the honey blonde woman half her age to be oblivious. <br/>The cab parked in front of the hospital and Sonia paid the driver before she got out. She went inside and said a brief "hi" to the receptionist before taking the elevator to the ICU. When she walked toward Calem's room, she found Dawn, Piplup, and Grandpa Ramos sitting at the edge of the bed, and Delia fluffing Calem's pillow as he recited everything he remembered.<br/>"Eighth-grade locker combination, 6-20-10. My birthday is October 12th, 1989. Social Security Number: 211-53-6539. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z.'<br/>"Oh, come on, Calem," Dawn rebuked. "You can remember all of that, but you can't remember Serena?"<br/>"Your sister is right, my boy. That darned amnesia of yours can't keep you from remembering her for long," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped with a nod.<br/>"Senior president at Lumiose High in 2006," Calem continued. "3.73 grade average at Yveltal University. First prize at the science fair in the sixth and seventh grade."<br/>Delia furrowed her brow while moving Calem's head forward to put his pillow back behind him.<br/>"You love her, Cay-Cay. You just don't remember her," she said. <br/>Calem looked at his mother blankly and said with a shrug, "Won the elementary school spelling bee three years in a row."<br/>Dawn let out a loud, "Ugh," while Grandpa Ramos shook his head, and Piplup hung its head. Delia let out a worried sigh before noticing Sonia coming in and turned to her old friend with a look of hope.<br/>"Sonia. Just in time," she said. "We're trying to help Calem remember Serena. Do you have any ideas?"<br/>Sonia put her hand on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought before she asked, "Calem, when did you first meet Serena?"<br/>"I don't know," Calem said. <br/>“What’s the first thing you like about her?” Sonia asked. <br/>“No clue.” <br/>“When’s the first time you’ve ever made her smile?”<br/>“Search me.”<br/>“How did you propose to her?”<br/>“How should I know?”<br/>“Sonia, what are you doing?” Grandpa Ramos asked. “He can’t remember any of that. He has amnesia.”<br/>“I’m just taking a few shots in the dark,” Sonia said. “I mean, I heard him say tons of things about himself when I came in, but he hasn’t tried to say anything about Serena. Maybe there’s something about his relationship with Serena before his amnesia that we don’t know about that could bring back his memory.”<br/>“That makes sense,” Dawn said. “We don’t know much about their relationship apart from what Serena has told us, so we may as well ask things like that while she’s not around.”<br/>“Piplup,” Piplup chirped. <br/>“Well, that’s something we haven’t tried, so I’m up for it,” Grandpa Ramos said. “Plus, it would be nice if he gets his memory back before Serena comes here after work. It would be a pretty big surprise.”<br/>“Aw, I love that idea,” Delia said with her hands clasped together and stars on her eyes. “I can see Calem getting his memory back and begging to see Serena again, devastated that he forgot about her.”<br/>“That does sound romantic,” Dawn said, smiling.<br/>Calem was baffled as he watched his family talk about him regaining his memory like he wasn’t in the room. Sonia frowned, realizing that her excuse was beginning to backfire. She bit her lip and brainstormed what to do until she snapped her fingers, catching everyone’s attention. <br/>“I know. Why don’t you guys go see Serena at the train station before she finishes her shift,” she said. “Hopefully, she’ll have some good questions that we can ask Calem.”<br/>“Now, that’s a fine idea,” Grandpa Ramos said. “But what will you do, Sonia?”<br/>“I’m gonna stay here and keep asking questions just to be on the safe side,” Sonia answered.<br/>“Wait a minute. Don’t I get a say in this?” Calem asked. “I’ve been awake for less than twenty-four hours, and all I hear from you guys is Serena this and Serena that.”<br/>“Don’t you worry, Cay-Cay,” Delia said, petting her oldest child’s head. “I’m sure this is frustrating for you, but it will be worth it when you get your memory back. I promise.”<br/>Calem gave his mother a hesitant look, unconvinced with her words. Delia proceeded to kiss her child on the forehead before she, Dawn, and Grandpa Ramos said their goodbyes. Piplup walked over from the other side of the bed to give Calem a hug before Dawn picked it up and left the room with her mother and grandfather. With the four of them gone, Calem turned to Sonia with an edgy look in his eyes. The peach-haired woman put her hands on the edge of the bed and gave Calem a warm smile.<br/>“How’re you feeling, Calem?” she asked.<br/>Calem hesitated before answering with a shrug, “Annoyed more than anything. I wake up in a hospital bed finding out that I’ve been in a coma, and the entire family, including you, keeps showering me with questions about this Serena person because I sort of have amnesia. I’m sure Serena’s a nice person, and how I’m feeling is normal for a someone in my situation, but I seriously can’t stand how everyone talks about her as if she’s Jesus back from heaven as a woman.”  <br/>Sonia snorted out a chuckle and shook her head.<br/>“Well, I don’t blame you for being frustrated one bit, Calem, and I’m sorry that we keep hammering you with questions. It is inconsiderate of the family not to think about how you’re feeling when you put it all that way,” Sonia said. “But the thing is we met Serena the day you had your accident, and we instantly took a liking to her. We invited her to Christmas, she came over to celebrate Grandpa Ramos’ birthday, heck, we have her and her Fennekin in the new family Christmas photo.”<br/>“Really? You guys like her that much?” Calem asked.<br/>“Absolutely,” Sonia said. “It’s not overselling it to say that as far as girlfriends go, she is a major improvement from Miette.”<br/>Calem glared at Sonia, saying, “Stop hating on Miette. I told you guys that I love her no matter what you say.”<br/>“Oh yeah? Are you still going out with her?” Sonia challenged.<br/>Calem hesitated before he said in defeat, “No. I proposed to her, but she said no and moved away from Kalos.”<br/>“Well, then I rest my case,” Sonia said. “You can say you love Miette all you like, but she said no, and now you’re engaged to Serena, who is a better person for you.”<br/>“I doubt that,” Calem said.<br/>Sonia furrowed her brow while giving the young man a disapproving look. She walked over to the left side of the bed, sat down next to Calem, and took his hand. Calem stared at her, unsure of what she was going to do.<br/>“Look, I’m going to level with you, Calem,” Sonia began. “I’ve known you ever since you were born. I’ve been to every major event in your life, from baseball games to when you started looking at girls differently during middle school. You got a good education, a successful career, and Lord knows you are a great-looking guy.”<br/>Calem smiled while Sonia praised him. He began to ease up until Sonia spoke again.<br/>“But you know something, Calem? You’re a putz.”<br/>“What?” Calem asked.<br/>Sonia held up Calem’s hand with both hands and said, “Calem, I’m your godmother, and I love you. I couldn’t love you any more than if you were my own son. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. But the truth is behind every wonderful thing about the man you’ve grown to be, deep down you’re a total putz.”<br/>Calem stared at Sonia with his mouth hanging open. Never in his life has the peach-haired woman spoken ill about him. It was as though a piece of his reality was shattered from Sonia’s harmful words.  <br/>“I don’t understand,” he said. “How am I a putz?”<br/>“Because you’re holding on to your feelings for a woman who shot you down and moved on when someone extraordinary pledged to marry you,” Sonia said. <br/>“Oh, come on. You’re bringing this all back to Serena?” Calem growled. “Why? What is it about this woman that’s making everybody worship her? What am I missing?”<br/>“Well, it’s quite simple,” Sonia answered. “Serena’s not just your fiancee, Calem. She’s your guardian angel.”<br/>“My guardian angel?” Calem asked.<br/>“Yeah, your guardian angel,” Sonia said. “Calem, she saved your life. She risked getting run over by that train to keep you out of harm's way. I'm sure you really love Miette, and maybe she loved you too, but do you think she would jump on the tracks to save you?"<br/>Calem took a moment to think about Sonia's question and sighed.<br/>"No," he said. "I'm sure she'd want to, but more than likely, she'd just stand there looking for someone to help."<br/>"Well, there you go," Sonia said. "Besides, you're already engaged to Serena, so you clearly found something special about her that made you want to spend the rest of your life with her."<br/>"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," Calem said. <br/>"I'm glad to hear it," Sonia said. "Now listen carefully, Calem. Within an hour or so, Serena is coming here to visit you. When she does, I want you to look deep into her eyes and listen to the heart of a man who has been given a second chance in life. If you don't fall madly in love with her by the end of her visit, then you break off the engagement and go back to being a putz. But if after her visit you see what took everyone only seconds to see, then you propose to her a second time and do everything in your power to make her the happiest woman on the planet."<br/>Calem hesitated, still unsure about what his godmother was saying. Sonia kept her smile and patted his hand before she stood up.<br/>"Take the time before she gets here to think about it," she said. <br/>"Okay," Calem said. <br/>Sonia walked toward the exit, satisfied with her work, but then stopped and turned back to her godson with a smirk.<br/>"You know, if Serena was a guy and I was twenty years younger, I'd marry her myself," she said. "Lord knows I wouldn't mind a kind-hearted guy who'd risk his life for me."<br/>"Oh, come on, Sonia. Not this again," Calem complained. <br/>"Don't give me that attitude, young man," Sonia said, pointing her finger at Calem. "Your godmother wants a sweet, good-looking hubby to spend the last thirty-some years of her life with, and she wants him now."<br/>Calem rolled his eyes while the peach-haired woman finally left the room. However, after a minute, he stared at the wall and thought about whether or not to try to fall in love with Serena.</p><p> </p><p>*****************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Sonia decided to walk the way home from the hospital, proud of her talk with Calem. She thought about grabbing a smoothie and a couple of doughnuts from a nearby restaurant, feeling she deserved something sweet. As far as she was concerned, nothing could deviate from what she expected to happen.<br/>As she was walking down the street, she saw Serena walking toward her, carrying the box of Calem's belongings. The honey blonde woman looked drained as she walked down the street with her head low. Sonia stopped smiling to pretend that she was worried despite knowing what happened. <br/>"Hey, Serena. What's the matter?" She greeted. <br/>Serena looked up to glare at the peach-haired woman and said, "I should be asking you that question. Mom, Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Piplup came to visit me at work not too long ago."<br/>"Oh, really? How was that?" Sonia asked.<br/>"Horrible," Serena answered. "They were asking me for memories between Calem and me, hoping that one of them would restore his memory."<br/>"Oh, dear," Sonia said, acting clueless. "Did you come up with anything?"<br/>"Yeah, I made up a story about how he proposed to me and what we did on our first date, but that's not the point," Serena said. "Why haven't you told them yet? You promised that you would."<br/>"Don't worry. I'm going to tell them," Sonia claimed. "It's just a matter of timing."<br/>"Timing? What do you mean timing?" Serena asked. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime? Make up a story about how I'll celebrate my golden anniversary?"<br/>"Trust me. I know what I'm doing," Sonia said, putting her hands on Serena's shoulders. "The whole thing is going to be fixed without a hitch before you even know it."<br/>Serena whined, wanting to be free from the situation right away. She then took a deep breath to calm down and said, "Okay, I'm trusting you. Just please don't take too long."<br/>"I won't," Sonia said. "Anyway, are you on your way to visit Calem?" <br/>"Not really," Serena said. "I'm hoping to just drop off his stuff at his room and head straight home."<br/>"Oh, then you're in luck. I just visited him, and he was fast asleep when I left," Sonia fibbed. <br/>"That's perfect," Serena said. "I better get there before he wakes up. I'll see you later."<br/>"See ya," Sonia said. <br/>Serena went back to walking toward the hospital with more energy. When she entered the building, she gave the receptionist a cheerful "hi" before taking the elevator to the ICU. But when she entered Calem's room, she found him awake and eating a couple of sandwiches, chips, and a small cup of water. Serena slowly backed away, hoping to leave without Calem noticing, but he looked up from his chips and saw her before she was at the door. She froze in place, and her mouth hung open, suddenly feeling shy to be around the man she crushed on for two years. <br/>"Serena," Calem greeted with a warm smile.<br/>"H-hi," Serena stuttered. "How are you feeling?"<br/>"Better now, I'm starting to eat real food," Calem replied. "Would you like a sandwich?"<br/>"Oh, no, thank you," Serena replied. "I just came to bring back your stuff."<br/>"Oh, you've been holding on to them while I was unconscious?" Calem asked. <br/>"Yeah, they gave them to me the day after you fell," Serena said. "Also, I've been visiting your apartment regularly to feed Meowstic."<br/>"Aw, that's so nice. Thank you," Calem said. <br/>"My pleasure," Serena said with a small smile. <br/>The two of them looked at each other, awkwardly in silence. Serena drummed her fingers while still holding the box, thinking about telling Calem that she needed to head home. However, before she had the chance, Calem gave her another friendly smile and stretched out his hand to the chair next to the bed.<br/>"Please sit down."<br/>Serena hesitated until she decided it would be rude to say no. She put the box on the bed beside Calem's feet and sat on the chair. She sat quietly, unsure of what to say, until she noticed Calem staring at her face with a focused look.<br/>"What are you doing?" She asked. <br/>"Just trying to get a good look at you to see if it helps me remember," Calem answered. <br/>"Oh, is it working at all?" Serena asked.<br/>"No, I'm still clueless," Calem answered. "Your eyes are pretty, though."<br/>Serena's cheeks turned pink, and she looked away from her longtime crush.<br/>"T-t-thank you," she said.<br/>Calem smiled again, amused with her bashfulness.<br/>"You're welcome," he said. "Did I normally make you blush whenever I compliment you before my coma?"<br/>Serena continued to look away and started playing with her fingers. <br/>"I don't think you have, but you and your mom are the only people who have ever complimented me on my eyes," she answered truthfully. <br/>"I see," Calem said. "Then why don't you tell me more about yourself?"<br/>Serena instantly turned back to Calem, with a look of shock on her red face.<br/>"Y-y-you want to know more about me?" She asked. <br/>"Of course," Calem answered. "I've heard different things about you from my family, but I'd like to know more from you."<br/>Serena's mouth hung agape, unable to believe what her crush was saying. She imagined him saying that he wanted to get to know her so often, but she was not prepared for it to finally come true. Eventually, she decided to take advantage of the moment and gave Calem a bashful smile<br/>"Okay. What would you like to know?" She asked.<br/>Calem looked up to think about the question before answering, "How about your full name?"<br/>"You want to know my full name?" Serena asked.<br/>"Why not?" Calem asked. "If we made it so far as getting engaged, I would think we would know each other's full names."<br/>Serena took a moment to think about it before she accepted his logic and said, "Alright then. It's Serena Judith Yvonne."<br/>"Serena Judith Yvonne," Calem repeated. That's a nice name."<br/>"Thank you," Serena said.<br/>Calem took another moment to brainstorm before he said, "I heard from Dawn that you convinced Ash to tell Mom about him being a Pokemon trainer."<br/>"Yeah, I did," Serena said. <br/>"I gotta tell you, I can't believe Ash wants to do that," Calem said. <br/>Serena frowned and asked, "You mean, you had no idea?"<br/>"Not really," Calem said. "I mean, he used to battle with Pikachu when we were kids, but he stopped when he eventually got in trouble for it. Add that to how he stayed in the family business after I left, and it seems like I don't know my brother as well as I thought."<br/>"Well, you haven't kept in touch with your family in a while," Serena said. "I mean, they were pretty shocked that we…"<br/>"That we're engaged?" Calem asked. <br/>Serena nodded, mentally beating herself for continuing the lie. <br/>"Yeah, that makes sense," Calem said. "But, hey, at least you got to meet them, and they really like you."<br/>"Yeah, they do," Serena said. "Your mom was showing me pictures of when you were growing up."<br/>"Including the newspaper about me saving those Skwovet?” Calem asked.<br/>Serena smiled and said, “Yeah. You look so cute in the picture.”<br/>“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Calem said. “Shame about the Skwovet, though. They never write or call. ”<br/>Serena giggled cutely like a schoolgirl and said, “Talk about a group of ungrateful Pokemon, right?”<br/>“Eh, it was a long time ago,” Calem said. “The baby Skwovet from back then are probably grown up and have their own families by now. They don’t need to remember a kid saving their lives when they’re living them right now.”<br/>“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Serena said. “It’s sad when you put it that way, though. I guess it comes to show that we don’t get to do many heroic things when we're adults.”<br/>“That’s not true,” Calem said with a smile. “You did something more heroic than me saving a couple of Pokemon.”<br/>Serena’s cheeks warmed up again, and she said, “W-well, I don’t know about that. Jumping on the tracks while a train was coming is pretty unusual.”<br/>“But you risked your life to rescue someone. That’s real heroism to me,” Calem said. “Compared to that, I don’t think I’ve ever done something truly heroic in my life. Though I did chase a bag snatcher once.”<br/>“That’s something,” Serena said. “Did you get him?”<br/>“Nah, he was too fast, and I nearly pulled a hamstring,” Calem said.<br/>“Well, most guys wouldn’t have chased him in the first place,” Serena said. “I still remember when that guy and his Weavile tried to mug you before you were in a coma. I thought you were really brave when you tried to escape.”<br/>“Ah, but you see, that’s not very heroic because I was worried about myself,” Calem pointed out.<br/>“True, but it takes guts to try and fight back,” Serena said.<br/>“I guess,” Calem said.<br/>Serena furrowed her brow and took a moment to think of a way to cheer Calem up before she said, “You know, you give up your seat every day on the train.”<br/>“That’s not heroic either,” Calem said.<br/>“It is to the person who sits in it,” Serena said. “Plus, you always gave me something to look forward to whenever you would come to Thom Avenue station."<br/>"I did?" Calem asked.<br/>Serena responded with a smile and a nod. The room was quiet again, with Calem and Serena gazing at each other. Calem began to study Serena's face again with an intense look that made her uneasy. <br/>"You know, you do remind me of someone," he said.<br/>"Uh, I do?" Serena asked. "Who do I remind you of?"<br/>Calem kept staring at her for a few seconds, making Serena unsure whether he heard her. His intense look then turned into a warm smile.<br/>"I don't know," he said, chuckling sheepishly. "But it's probably you, the woman I fell in love with."<br/>Serena's cheeks heated up a third time, taken aback by what he said. Calem chuckled again, and reached out and took Serena's hand, thinking that he was getting closer to remembering his fiancee. Serena's face grew redder, shocked that her longtime crush was displaying the affection she waited all her life to experience. And yet, despite her cheeks still red from blushing, Serena's heart wasn't beating for joy. She expected it to be racing like it did when Ash walked her home, but it was regularly beating for the stranger Calem was.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Saturday afternoon, and Gray typed on the computer at the reception desk in the Garcia Drive apartment complex. Only a couple of the people living in the building came in or out, for most of them wanted to stay home and enjoy the weekend. <br/>Just then, a woman close to her thirties came inside and walked straight toward the elevators without acknowledging the doorman. She had short dark blue hair and was wearing sunglasses. She walked down the hall as though she owned the place, feeling superior with her high heels that made up her five-and-a-half-feet tall height and her expensive black suit that complimented her short waist and her chest above average size. Gray looked up from the computer to notice her, and he hurried over to her before she reached the elevators.<br/>"Excuse me, ma'am, what apartment are you going to?" He called out. <br/>The woman stopped walking and huffed before turning to Gray. She took off her sunglasses and examined him from top to bottom with her brown eyes before looking him in the eyes with a condescending look.<br/>"You're new here," she said bluntly.<br/>"Uh, yes, ma'am. I am," Gray confessed. <br/>"Then let me make this simple for you," Miette said. "I'm going to Calem Ketchum's apartment, and no announcement will be necessary."<br/>"I'm afraid I still need a name," Gray said.<br/>"Miette Johanna Gulia," Miette announced with pride. "I'm Calem Ketchum's fiancee."<br/>Gary stared at the dark blue-haired woman for a couple of seconds before he started chuckling. <br/>"What's so funny?" Miette asked. <br/>"You're not his fiancee," Gray answered.<br/>"Yes, I am," Miette answered. <br/>"No, you're not," Gray said. "I met his real fiancee, and you look nothing like her."<br/>Miette's left eye twitched, and she stood still for a few seconds before she gave the poor doorman a black look that sent shivers down his spine. <br/>"His real fiancee?"</p><p> </p><p>********************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Back at the hospital, Joy was in Calem's room, helping him get up from his bed and putting him in a wheelchair. The light black-haired man's legs wobbled with each step, not used to standing up again apart from whenever he needed to use the restroom. As Joy was slowly helping him to his chair, Ash, and Pikachu, walked in with the former carrying a cooler lunch box on his shoulder. <br/>"Heya, champ, how're you doing?" Ash greeted. <br/>"Great," Calem replied with a chirpy attitude. "They're moving me to the second floor. They say I'll be discharged as soon as tomorrow."<br/>"That's great," Ash said. "We'll have a party for you once we get home."<br/>"I'm looking forward to it," Calem said.<br/>"Hey, Joy, is it alright if I drive him?" Ash asked. <br/>"Sure. I'll meet you two downstairs," Joy said. <br/>The nurse walked ahead of the two men and Pikachu, and Ash began pushing the wheelchair to the elevator. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and landed on Calem's lap. Calem smiled and pet Pikachu affectionately as though it was his own Pokemon partner. <br/>"You're pretty cheerful today," Ash said.<br/>"Of course, I am," Calem said. "I feel happy to be alive."<br/>"That's good," Ash said. He checked to ensure none of the doctors or nurses were around and then opened the lunchbox to take out a small carton of ice cream and a plastic spoon. "By the way, I brought you some Vanillite Swirl."<br/>"Oh, you're a pal, Ashy-boy," Calem said as he took the ice cream and spoon from Ash. "By the way, Serena visited me yesterday."<br/>"Oh, yeah? How was that?" Ash asked. <br/>"Wonderful," Calem said with a dreamy look. "She's a terrific person. We're engaged, you know."<br/>Calem and Pikachu don't notice Ash grimacing.<br/>"Yeah, I heard about that," Ash said with a fake smile. <br/>As Ash pressed the down button on the elevator, Calem opened the ice cream carton and started eating. He let out a pleased "Mmmm" and offered a spoonful to Pikachu.<br/>"Now this I remember," Calem said. "I tell you, Ash. Now that I've started to get to know Serena, everything is better. Everything looks, better, feels better, even this chocolate peanut butter ice cream tastes better."<br/>Ash looked at his brother, concerned, as the elevator door opened and they went in.<br/>"Calem, that's fudge mint," he said.<br/>"Whatever," Calem said, waving his hand. "The point is I'm a new man. If either you or Pikachu were a priest, I'd confess everything right now."<br/>"That's okay, Calem. Just stay positive and eat your ice cream," Ash said. <br/>"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said in agreement.<br/>But Calem's face turned grim, and he stared at his reflection on the elevator door.<br/>"I don't remember what I had my secretary send mom for Christmas," he said. "I've never been loyal to a woman ever. Even when we were kids and the girls were chasing me, I was always seeing a few girls at once."<br/>"Calem, we really don't need to -"<br/>"Do you remember the Skwovet?"<br/>Ash and Pikachu grew unsettled as they stared at Calem, who looked at his reflection in disgust.<br/>"Calem, if there's something wrong about that day, please don't share it," Ash said. <br/>But Calem shook his head, still staring at his reflection, and said, "I knocked them off their nest with a rock. I was hiding behind the bushes, so no one saw me do it. And when everyone saw them on the ground, injured, I decided to come out from the bushes to their aid. I became famous just because I wanted to publically fix my cruel deed."<br/>"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, shocked. <br/>"I can't believe you," Ash said. "Does Serena know about this?"<br/>Calem immediately brought back his cheerful demeanor as if nothing happened, and said, "Are you kidding, Ashy-boy? I'm taking that to my grave. I'm making a clean start with Serena. She's… she's…"<br/>Calem's happy face turned into a look of confusion. He tilted his head, unsure how to finish his declaration, and Ash took a moment before speaking for his brother.<br/>"I'd say she's someone who gets under your skin the first time you meet her," he said. "She wants to go to any place in the world just so that she has traveled like her parents did, and you don't know if you think it's silly or is something so precious that you want to hug her tight."<br/>Pikachu looked at its partner dumbfounded, having never heard him speak that way about a person. At that moment, the yellow mouse Pokemon began to wonder if there was more than friendship with Serena in Ash's mind. Calem, on the other hand, was staring blankly at the elevator door, thinking about Ash's response before he began chuckling.<br/>"Nah," he chortled. "Nah, nah, that's not it. She's something not as silly as that."<br/>Ash furrowed his brow asked, "Okay, Mr. Ladies Man, then what is she?"<br/>Calem continued to stare into space until he turned the upper half of his body to give Ash a happy-go-lucky smile.<br/>"I have no idea," he said. "But you know what? That's okay because I've been engaged to her since before I was knocked out. That tells me that she's someone special, and I could spend the rest of my life to figure out why. I don't know if I'll find out tomorrow or next week. It could take a year, maybe even ten years, before I get a clue, but that doesn't mean I can't make a life long commitment. Does that make any sense?"<br/>Ash stared at his brother, bewildered, and then looked at Pikachu, who shared his reaction.<br/>"Uh, no, it doesn't, but I guess you deserve some leeway," he said.<br/>Calem shrugged and turned his body around to face the door just as it opened to reveal Joy on the other side. Ash pushed the wheelchair to the nurse and moved back for her to take the handle while Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder.<br/>"Well, Calem, I better get going," he said. "I just came over to say hi before I head to the outskirts of town to train."<br/>"Oh, yeah, you're getting ready for the Kalos League," Calem said. "Train hard."<br/>"You can count on me," Ash said with a toothy grin.</p><p> </p><p>********************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>Ash and Pikachu took the elevator to the ground floor, exited the hospital, and drove away on the moving truck. Two minutes after they left, Miette was walking down the street toward the hospital. She walked in, asked the receptionist where Calem was, took the elevator to the second floor, and stormed over to Calem's new room. The man was lying down comfortably in his new bed, still eating his ice cream until he noticed his ex.<br/>"Miette," he greeted. <br/>"Scumbag," Miette greeted back with venom in her voice. "I hear you are engaged."<br/>Calem nodded happily. Miette took off her sunglasses and walked over to the bed, glaring daggers at Calem. <br/>"Need I remind you that you proposed to me?" She asked. <br/>"You said no, and we broke up," Calem answered.<br/>"No. No, I was confused, and we took a step back," Miette claimed. <br/>"You moved to Alola," Calem pointed out.<br/>Yes, well, I didn't expect you to run around and marry the first bimbo you come across," Miette said.<br/>"Serena is not a bimbo," Calem said.<br/>"Oh, so her name is Serena?" Miette snarled. "Serena, who?"<br/>"Serena Yvonne," Calem answered. <br/>"And how long have you been seeing this Serena Yvonne?" Miette asked. <br/>Calem looked away from Miette and stared into space before he answered, "I don't know."<br/>"Liar!" Miette hissed. <br/>"I'm serious, Miette," Calem said. "I was in a coma for a week and then woke up with selective amnesia. I don't remember a thing about Serena, but I still want to marry her."<br/>"Amnesia? Oh, that's rich," Miette said. "Fine. If that's the way you wanna play, then I want Meowstic and my stuff back."<br/>"Fine. Then I want my stuff back," Calem said with a shrug.<br/>"What stuff?" Miette asked.<br/>"Your nose," Calem answered.<br/>Miette gasped and covered her nose with her hand defensively.<br/>"M-my nose? You can't take back my nose," she said. <br/>"Of course, I can. I paid for it," Calem said.<br/>Miette frowned and said, "Well, if you want everything you paid for, then I suppose you want my breast implants too."<br/>"No, those you can keep," Calem said. "I'm a changed man, Miette. I don't need the woman I wanna marry to be someone who changes how she looks."<br/>Miette looked at Calem, appalled, with her mouth agape until she straightened her suit and put her sunglasses back on. <br/>"Fine. Go ahead," she said. "Go ahead and marry her, you one-balled jackass."<br/>She stormed out of the room with her head held high, hiding her discontent. She took the elevator back to the ground floor and left the hospital, unknowingly passing Serena, who was walking toward the building. Along the way, the honey blonde woman saw Sonia walking to the hospital entrance from the other side of the street. She rushed over to the peach-haired woman, who gave her a warm smile.<br/>"Sonia, are the Ketchums inside?" Serena asked. <br/>"They're still at home," Sonia answered.<br/>"Okay, so how did they take the news?" Serena asked. <br/>"I haven't told them yet," Sonia answered.<br/>Serena looked at Sonia in disbelief and whined, "Sonia, you said you were going to handle it."<br/>"I am handling it," Sonia said.<br/>"This is handling it? Still pretending while they're worried about Calem's memory?" Serena asked.<br/>"Yes, that's handling it," Sonia said.<br/>Serena huffed and said, "Okay, you know what? That's it. I'm tired of trusting you."<br/>"What are you saying?" Sonia asked.<br/>"I'm saying you're fired," Serena said. <br/>Sonia looked at Serena, baffled as she went inside. Serena marched to the elevator with a determined look until Joy saw her coming and rushed over to her.<br/>"Serena, hold on," she said. "They moved him to the second floor."<br/>"They did? Where?" Serena asked. <br/>"Come with me, I'll show you," Joy said, pressing the button to the elevator. <br/>The elevator door instantly opened, they went inside, and Joy pressed the button to the second floor. Before the door was fully closed, Sonia rushed over and squeezed her way in. The honey blonde woman frowned and looked away from Sonia, who panted with her hands on her knees.<br/>"Serena, hold on," Sonia huffed. "What are you going to do?"<br/>"I'm going to tell Calem everything," Serena announced. <br/>"You're what?!" Sonia and Joy shouted simultaneously.<br/>"It's the right thing to do," Serena said. "I'm going to tell everyone else later, but Calem needs to know first after everything he's been going through over the last two days." <br/>"Are you sure that's what you want, Serena?" Joy asked. <br/>"I am," Serena replied. <br/>Sonia and Joy looked at each other, unsure of Serena's plan. The elevator door opened, and Joy led Serena and Sonia to Calem's room. He was still in a cheerful mood, holding an empty ice cream carton like a teddy bear. Serena walked inside while Sonia and Joy stood by the door, mentally praying that things would work out.<br/>"Calem," Serena said.<br/>Calem turned to Serena, and his smile grew at the sight of her.<br/>"Serena," he chirped. "I'm so glad you're here."<br/>"Er, thank you," Serena said, taken aback by his demeanor. "You look good."<br/>"Oh, I feel great," Calem said.<br/>"I'm glad to hear it," Serena said before she took a deep breath to collect herself. "Calem, I have something to tell you."<br/>"And I have something I need to tell you," Calem said.<br/>"Okay, but I should go first," Serena said.<br/>"No, please, let me speak," Calem begged. "It's important that I say this before I go crazy."<br/>Serena hesitated, wanting to tell the truth right away. After a moment, she gave in and nodded, not wanting to risk what Calem would do. Her longtime crush grinned and spoke with enthusiasm.<br/>"Serena, facing death makes a man evaluate his life. I've been thinking about mine, and I don't like what I've seen," he said. "I see a man living alone in an expensive apartment, a lucrative investment portfolio, and seasonal tickets to the Lumiose Magnezones."<br/>"The what?" Serena asked.<br/>"Lumiose City's basketball team," Calem explained.<br/>"Ah," Serena said. "I don't watch sports."<br/>"That's alright," Calem said. "Anyway, the point is I have all of these things, but I don't have someone I can trust. Someone I would want to raise a family with."<br/>Serena froze in place, unsure if she heard Calem correctly. Sonia and Joy looked at each other, their mouths hung agape. <br/>"You were there when I needed someone the most. You gave me a second chance at life," Calem continued. "It took me a coma to wake up and see the truth. My whole family loves you, and I might as well love you. I want to do everything in my power to make you happy. You want to travel? Just say the word, and we'll go anywhere in the world. Whatever it takes to see you smile."<br/>Calem sat up from the bed, took both of Serena's hands, and lifted them up. Joy quietly gasped before she and Sonia huddled close together in anticipation. Serena felt goosebumps in her body as Calem said seven words she waited all her life to hear a man say to her.<br/>"Serena Judith Yvonne, will you marry me?"<br/>Serena's heart stopped beating, and her pupils shrunk until they were like grains of sand. Joy and Sonia huddled closer until their cheeks were touching. Calem gave Serena a pleading look, worried about how she wasn't responding. <br/>It took a moment before the honey blonde woman snapped out of her shock and thought about the question. Her common-sense demanded that she let him down as nicely as possible and tell the truth, but the latter half of her mind argued that marrying Calem would be great for everyone. She would officially be a part of the family, she'd have a husband who would put her before himself, and she could finally travel. Serena also considered how if she told Calem the truth at that very moment, he would lose his new positive outlook on life, affecting both him and the family. She didn't know how she truly felt about Calem, but she knew that she wouldn't do anything that would hurt anyone in that way. <br/>Serena continued to debate with herself, leaving everyone on pins and needles. Then she smiled and moved closer to Calem, giving the man hope.<br/>"Yes."<br/>Joy passed out into Sonia's arms.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn't long before the family learned about the proposal. Sonia took it upon herself to call Delia, who was at home with Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, and Grandpa Ramos. Delia and Dawn drove to the city's outskirts, where Ash was training his Pokemon to tell him the news. Later, they came to the hospital, where they scheduled the wedding to take place in the hospital chapel in three days, and Calem asked Ash to be his best man and Pikachu to be the ring bearer.<br/>On the outside, Ash was happy about the news, but his heart was aching on the inside. He knew Calem made it clear that he wanted to change for the better and make Serena happy, but deep down he didn't want Serena to marry his brother. He tried to put the feeling in the back of his mind and go back to training after visiting Calem, but his commands to his Pokemon were sloppy and unfocused, making his Pokemon team, particularly Pikachu, worried about him. <br/>The day after Calem proposed, Ash and Pikachu went to Lumiose stadium to register for the Kalos League. Ash felt butterflies in his stomach when the receptionist scanned his Pokedex and checked his badges before she smiled and told him that he was set to compete. The raven-haired man and his Pokemon partner left the stadium gleefully, thrilled that their dream was coming true, and yet Ash felt like his heart hold back in expressing joy to the fullest. <br/>Ash was on his way home with his truck until he saw a gift shop, and decided to browse through it, thinking he might find a present for the wedding, and to his surprise, he found something that he and Pikachu thought Serena would particularly like. Ash bought the item without giving it a second thought and decided to give it to Serena right away. He drove to the apartment complex with the present in a gift bag, went inside with Pikachu on his shoulder, and went up the stairs to find Tierno walking down with a young woman with curly blonde hair, and wearing a pink tank top, a light blue jacket and torn jeans. Ash and Pikachu looked at Tierno curiously as the woman was holding his arm while they walked down the steps.<br/>"You're looking very nice, Cathy," Tierno said.<br/>"You ain't so bad yourself, Tierno," Cathy said with a kittenish look. "I like your cologne."<br/>"Thanks. It's called 'Johto Man.' It's from Johto," Tierno said.<br/>"Oooo. You don't say," Cathy said.<br/>Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, unsure if they saw what they were seeing.  Tierno noticed the two of them and stopped walking down the steps with a smirk that he thought made him look cool.<br/>"Yo, you here to see Serena?" He asked.<br/>"Yeah, we are," Ash answered.<br/>"Nice," Tierno said. "She's the hottest lady in the building."<br/>"Excuse me?!" Cathy shrieked, looking like she was going to rip off the arms she was holding.<br/>Tierno turned to Cathy fearfully and quickly said, "I-I-I mean, I thought she was the hottest until I saw you, Cathy."<br/>Cathy's venomous glare melted into a chirpy smile, and she rested her head on Tierno's shoulder.<br/>"Aw, Tierno," she said.<br/>Tierno sighed in relief, and the two of them walked down the stairs again, passing Ash and Pikachu. When the couple was out of sight, Ash let out a sigh and shook his head.<br/>"I just never know what to expect from that guy, Pikachu," he said.<br/>"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.<br/>The two of them walked up to the second floor, and Ash knocked on Serena's door. He waited for a few seconds before he knocked again in case Serena didn't hear him. When he knocked a third time, he heard Serena let out an irritated growl from the other side of the door.<br/>"I don't want any flowers, I'm not wearing pink underwear, and I do not want to move in with you, Tier -"<br/>As soon as she opened the door, Serena stopped herself in mid-sentence. She was wearing a semi-formal white dress with a large ribbon at the center. Ash smirked and rested his shoulder on the door frame with his arms crossed.<br/>"Well, I don't have any flowers, I'm sure you look cute in pink underwear, but under the circumstances, I most certainly don't think we should move in together," he said.<br/>"A-Ash," Serena said, her cheeks heating up. "I'm sorry. I thought you were Tierno."<br/>"I figured," Ash said. "Luckily for you, he seems to be seeing someone named Cathy."<br/>Serena looked at Ash puzzled and asked, "Cathy from the third floor?"<br/>"I guess," Ash said. "They were kinda lovey-dovey. It was weird to see, really."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said with a nod.<br/>"Huh. Go figure," Serena said. "Well, would you two like to come in?"<br/>"Yes, please," Ash said. <br/>Serena opened the door further, allowing Ash and Pikachu to come in. Pikachu hopped off to play with Fennekin, who was lying down on the couch while Ash and Serena stood a few feet apart from each other, not knowing what to say to each other.<br/>"Um...so is that the wedding dress?" Ash asked. <br/>Serena looked down at her dress and, with a nervous chuckle, said, "Technically, yes. It didn't seem right to go for a real wedding dress since I'm getting married in a hospital."<br/>"Is a sentence you don't hear every day," Ash said. <br/>The two of them snickered at Ash's joke before silence overtook the two of them again. They stared at each other, smiling until Ash cleared his throat and held the gift bag up to Serena.<br/>"Here. This is your wedding gift from me," he said. "Figured it would be best to give it to you now before the presents start piling up."<br/>"Thank you," Serena said.<br/>She took the bag and reached into it to take out a snow globe. She looked curiously at the small statue of a racing stadium inside the globe. There were small figurines of people riding on Rhyhorn on the tracks. Serena then looked at the stadium's side where white words were on the fake grass that said "Lilly of the Valley Rhyhorn Racing Championship 1986. Serena looked at the globe, shocked, and looked up at Ash, who was smiling at her while scratching the bottom of his nose. <br/>"A snow globe of where and when my mom won the Rhyhorn racing championship? H-how did you find this?" Serena asked. <br/>"I was getting myself registered for the Kalos League and decided to head to the gift shop along the way," Ash said. "Crazy dumb luck that I would find this of all things."<br/>Serena continued to look at Ash, shocked for a moment before she smiled sweetly at him. She turned the globe upside down and then turned it back upside so that the fake snow was flying around the globe <br/>"Thank you. You're very sweet, Ash," she said. <br/>"My pleasure," Ash replied with a toothy grin. "I also want to say that Calem is a very lucky guy… though I'm partially obligated to say that because you're going to be my sister-in-law."<br/>Serena gave a light chuckle and said, "That's true. We'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."<br/>"Yeah, we will," Ash said.<br/>The two of them stood still, looking at each other silently for a third time. The only sound that was heard was Pikachu and Fennekin playing. Serena turned her globe upside down and right side up repeatedly without looking at it, and Ash had his pockets in his pants. <br/>"Well, we better get going," Ash said. "Come on, Pikachu."<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu replied before it climbed back onto Ash's shoulder. <br/>Serena kept her smile and gave a short nod. As Ash opened the door, however, her smile faded, and she realized that she didn't want him to leave. At that moment, it hit Serena that she accepted Calem's proposal without considering how she thought she was feeling about his brother, and yet the thought occurred to her that Ash may not feel the same way she did. <br/>She decided that if there was any time to find out, it had to be now. She rushed over the door and called out Ash, who was already halfway down the stairs.<br/>"Ash."<br/>The raven-haired man stopped and turned to Serena. Serena hesitated for a moment and asked, "I know the wedding is tomorrow, but can you give me any reason why I shouldn't marry your brother?"<br/>Ash and Pikachu paused for a moment and looked down in thought. Pikachu, still standing on his shoulder, looked at its partner, unsure what Ash was going to say. For a brief moment, the edges of his lips curled up, giving Serena hope, but it disappeared, and Ash looked up to her with a fake grin. <br/>"No, I can't," he said. "I stand by that you'll be a great couple."<br/>Serena didn't show discontent on the outside, but her heart felt like it was stabbed with a dagger. Ash took her lack of reaction as a sign that she was okay with his answer, and she didn't have anything else to say.<br/>"Well, see you at the wedding," he said.<br/>"Yeah, see you," Serena said.<br/>Ash turned around, walked down the rest of the stairs, and exited the apartment complex with Pikachu. He opened the side door to his truck for Pikachu to hop onto the seat from his shoulder before getting in on the driver's seat. He put his hands on the wheel and rested his forehead on the wheel with a heavy sigh. Pikachu looked at its partner worryingly and walked over to nudge his elbow with its head. Ash lifted his head up and gave his friend a sad smile. <br/>"I meant what I said, buddy," he said. "She was already engaged to Calem to begin with, and he's willing to take her anywhere in the world. Her dreams are going to come true, and she won't be alone. What reason does she have to not marry him?"<br/>"Pika," Pikachu said sadly.<br/>Ash lightly petted Pikachu's head and said, "it's okay, Pikachu," before he turned on the ignition and drove away. </p><p> </p><p>***********************************************************************************************</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Serena took a cab to a twenty-story building and took an elevator to the thirteenth floor. She walked to the other side of the floor, where Iris was looking at some papers with reading glasses in her office. Axew was on the floor, happily playing with toys. With a wooden face, Serena walked over to Iris' desk, took out an envelope, and dropped it in front of her boss. <br/>Iris looked at the envelope, confused, and asked, "What is this?" <br/>"It's a wedding invitation," Serena said.<br/>The honey blonde woman turned around and walked toward the exit until Iris opened the envelope and turned to her.<br/>"Wait a minute. This is your wedding invitation," Iris said.<br/>"Yeah? So?" Serena asked, turning to face Iris.<br/>Iris raised her eyebrow and looked at Serena skeptically.<br/>"Who are you marrying?" She asked.<br/>"Calem Ketchum," Serena answered, pointing at the invitation.<br/>Iris looked at the invitation where Calem's name was and turned back to Serena in disbelief.<br/>"Hasn't he only been awake for a few days?" She asked. <br/>"Yes," Serena said plainly. <br/>"And does he think you're engaged just like his family?"<br/>"Yes, and he proposed to me the other day."<br/>"And you said yes?"<br/>"I did."<br/>Confounded with the information her employee gave her, Iris stood up from her seat, walked over to Serena, and put her hands on both sides of Serena's head.<br/>"Serena, first you played along so much that you may have believed that you're a part of the family, you took his brother to New Year's, and now you're marrying a man who you've never spoken to before any of this happened?! Are you insane?!" Iris shouted.<br/>Serena growled in irritation and shouted, "Yes, Iris. I'm insane! Every day, including holidays, I go and sit in a booth for eight hours, and come home to my Fennekin, and then a rich, handsome man said he wants to make me happy,  asked me to marry him, and I said yes! Okay, that makes me a raving lunatic!"<br/>"But the wedding is tomorrow," Iris said.<br/>"I know it is tomorrow, Iris!" Serena yelled. "But you know what? I wish it was yesterday because that means today would mean I will be on my honeymoon, I will finally have a stamp on my passport, and it would say Hoenn, or Johto, or Galar, or Unova on it!"<br/>"You don't even know where you're going for your honeymoon?" Iris asked.<br/>"Calem said I can pick where to go after the wedding," Serena answered. <br/>Iris moved her hands away from Serena's head and crossed her arms.<br/>"What about his brother?" She asked.<br/>Serena's glare melted away, and she looked down, dispirited. Iris dropped her skeptical look, as Serena answered with her voice cracking, <br/>"He didn't want me."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Serena woke up to the feeling of something licking her face. She moaned softly and rolled to the other side of her bed, but something with four little paws walked around her head and started licking again. The honey blonde woman moaned again and rolled to the other side, and this time the small figure stood its front paws on her head and leaned its head into her ear.<br/>"Fennekin!"<br/>"Ow!" Serena shouted.<br/>She sat up, rubbing her ear, and turned to see daylight shining through her window. She looked down at Fennekin, who was on the bed looking like it wanted to run.<br/>"Fennekin, that was loud," Serena rebuked. "What do you want?"<br/>Fennekin ran over to where the bed stand was standing next to the bed, where the alarm clock was. Serena rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock before she gasped loudly. It was 10:44 a.m.<br/>"Oh my gosh! My wedding is in sixteen minutes!"<br/>Serena threw the covers away, jumped off the bed, and rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She rushed into drying her hair before running back to the bedroom to put on her wedding dress. Fennekin went over to the entryway to pick up Serena's white shoes with its mouth and ran back to the bedroom to give it to her while she put on the dress. After putting on her shoes, Serena put on her father's coat, and together, she and Fennekin left the apartment with Serena not bothering to lock the door behind her. The honey blonde woman and her Pokemon partner burst through the apartment complex's front entrance and began running down the street to the hospital. <br/>"Of all things to forget last night, it was setting my alarm so that I wouldn't oversleep," Serena whined. "This is what I get for being so focused on stuffing my suitcase with things for the honeymoon."<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin said.<br/>By the time the two of them made it to the hospital, it was nine minutes past eleven. They went in to find Joy pacing in front of the reception desk, holding a bouquet of pink flowers. When she saw Serena and Fennekin come in, she ran over to her, grabbed her hand, and began leading her down the hall with Fennekin following them. <br/>"Everyone else is waiting," Joy said. "Did you seriously forget about your own wedding?"<br/>"I forgot to set my alarm," Serena answered. <br/>The three of them raced down the hall where the hospital chapel was. The chapel was two-story-tall with a thin, wooden cross hanging on the wall on stage. A short old woman was sitting in front of an electric keyboard on the stage's left side. At the center was a priest with Calem standing on the right side in his hospital clothes with a sport coat around him and an IV pole attached to him. Next to him was Ash in a modest gray suit, and behind him was Pikachu in a little suit and holding a purple pillow carrying two golden rings. On the left side of the stage was Shauna in a white and pink dress as Serena's maid of honor. Delia, Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, Grandpa Ramos, and Sonia were sitting in the front row on the left side. Iris, Axew, Cilan, Maynor, and Dratini were sitting down on the right front row.<br/>Joy helped Serena take off her coat, hung it on a coat hanger, and handed her the flowers. She and Fennekin walked ahead to stand next to Shauna as bridesmaids. The old woman began playing the wedding match on the keyboard, and Serena stood at the center of the aisle, took a deep breath, and walked down, holding the flowers up. She looked at the Ketchum family, where Sonia gave her a smile and a nod, Grandpa Ramos was taking a picture of her, Dawn was struggling to contain her excitement, and Mimey was handing tissues to Delia. The latter was smiling at Serena with teary eyes. <br/>Serena turned her head to the left side of the stage, where Calem gave her a sunny look. Her gaze then turned to Ash, and she smiled, thinking he looked handsome. Ash smiled back, finding her to be as pretty as a picture despite her self-effacing dress, but then his smile faded. Serena's smile disappeared, and she wondered what was on Ash's mind. She then turned at Iris, who was still unconvinced that what the honey blonde woman was doing. <br/>At that moment, Serena doubted that she was doing the right thing. She dreamt of this moment with someone like Calem, who would give her all that she wanted, and yet in her heart, it wasn't enough. Serena wanted something more valuable than the kind of marriage Ash's brother was offering, but she forced a smile on her face, thinking there was no way out. She trapped herself by taking things this far in the lie. At least with being married to Calem, she would see a lot of Ash like he said the night before. <br/>Serena made it to the end of the aisle, and she turned to face Calem. The priest smiled and cleared his throat as he opened his bible.<br/>"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to wit -"<br/>"I object!"<br/>All eyes turned to Serena. Sonia sighed and facepalmed, Calem looked at Serena, befuddled, and Delia stopped tearing up. In contrast, she, Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, Pikachu, Axew, Cilan, Maynor, Dratini, and Shauna looked equally confused. Iris, Joy, and Fennekin were wondering if Serena was going, to tell the truth. <br/>"I-I-I didn't get to that part," the priest said. <br/>"Actually, I have to object as well," Ash said. <br/>Serena looked at Ash with a look of hope. Apart from Sonia, Fennekin, Joy, and Iris, everyone became more puzzled, and the priest turned to Calem.<br/>"Do you object as well?" He asked. <br/>Calem stammered and said, "I don't know."<br/>"What's going on?" Dawn asked.<br/>Serena took a deep breath to muster all of her courage and turned to the family. <br/>"Mom -er, Mrs. Ketchum, there's something you should know," she said. "I'm in love with your son."<br/>Delia chuckled, thinking Serena was acting silly, and said, "I know, sweetie. That's why we are here."<br/>"No, not Calem. Ash," Serena said. <br/>Anyone who didn't know the truth was stumped. Sonia looked back between Ash and Serena with her mouth slightly open. Joy's and Fennekin's eyes widened, and the former covered her mouth with her hand. Iris raised her eyebrow while her family didn't know what was happening. The priest huffed and rolled his eyes while Calem looked at Serena blankly. On the other hand, Ash looked at the honey blonde woman, shocked to the point that he didn't hear his mother speak to him. <br/>"Ash, what did you do?" Delia asked, furrowing her brow. <br/>"He didn't do anything. It was all me," Serena said before looking over to Grandpa Ramos. "Grandpa Ramos, are you doing okay? You're not getting an episode?"<br/>Grandpa Ramos grinned and gave Serena a thumbs up.<br/>"Okay, good," Serena said before looking at the whole family apologetically. "The truth is there was a mixup the day Calem fell into the tracks. I did see him fall in, and I did save his life, but when I got into the hospital, and they wouldn't let me see him, someone told the doctor that I was Calem's fiancee, except it's not true. I was never engaged to Calem."<br/>Joy bit her lip to hide her guilt and mentally thanked heaven the bride didn't call her out. The family continued to look at Serena, shocked, while Calem still stared blankly at her. Serena turned to Ash, who looked at her, crushed.<br/>"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.<br/>"I didn't know how to tell you," Serena said.<br/>Ash furrowed his brow and looked away from her, betrayed. Serena wanted to say something to try to soften the blow, but she knew nothing could be done. Her mouth quivered for a moment before she shook it off and faced the family again. <br/>"Calem and I never met until that day on the tracks," Serena said. "When I was in the hospital room, everything happened so fast, and after the way, you were so uplifted with me saving his life and thinking we were engaged I just couldn't tell you the truth, and then I didn't want to tell you the truth because I started to fall in love with you."<br/>Delia, Mimey Dawn, Piplup, and Grandpa Ramos looked at each other before Grandpa Ramos asked, "Who are you talking to?"<br/>"All of you. The whole family," Serena said, smiling. "Ever since that day, I went from being alone apart from being with Fennekin to being a fiancee, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, and a friend."<br/>Serena then turned to Calem, who was still befuddled, and said, "I might have saved your life on the tracks, but really you saved mine. You allowed me to be a part of your family. I haven't had that in a long time, and I didn't want to let go of that. Even if it was for a little while, I will always love them."<br/>Serena turned back to the family, who were unsure of how to react. Tears ran down Serena's face as she let her guilt overtake her.<br/>"I'm very sorry," she sobbed.<br/>She turned to Fennekin and gestured it to follow her. The fox Pokemon frowned and silently followed its partner down the aisle to the exit. Delia, Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, and Grandpa Ramos looked at each other, not knowing how to take on the information. Ash kept looking away from Serena while scratching the back of his head, and Pikachu looked at its partner, concerned. Calem, Axew, Cilan, Pansage, Maynor, and Dratini were as confused as ever, Iris was relieved, and the priest was irritated that he came to the chapel for nothing. <br/>Then, as Serena and Fennekin were halfway down the aisle, Miette stormed into the chapel, and a tall man with bright yellow hair and a norse skipper goatee followed behind, both cross. Serena and Fennekin moved away to pass by, and Miette stood in front of Calem, pointing her finger at the priest.<br/>"Calem Judas Ketchum is engaged to me! I object to this wedding!" She barked. <br/>"Get in line," the priest said.<br/>"And I object to her objection!" The blonde man yelled. <br/>Everyone looked at the two of them confused, and Dawn asked, "Calem, who is this guy?"<br/>Calem shrugged and plainly said, "That's Pierre, Miette's husband."<br/>Everyone apart from Calem, Miette, and Pierre looked at him, shocked. Delia stood up from her seat, livid, and screamed, "You dated and proposed to a married woman?!"<br/>"Yes, I did," Calem said unashamedly. "And then I was in a coma while my brother made a play on my sort of fiancee."<br/>"Serena said Ash didn't do anything," Grandpa Ramos said.<br/>"Calem, how can you do this?" Delia asked.<br/>"Because we're in love!" Miette proudly said for Calem. "He belongs to me, and we're getting married!"<br/>"No, you're not! You're married to me!" Pierre barked.<br/>"Clearly, you've never heard of divorce!" Miette countered.<br/>"You haven't filed for divorce! You just left Alola claiming that you're engaged!" Pierre countered.<br/>"Well, maybe you should have taken that as a sign that she's leaving you and is going to divorce you," Calem said.<br/>"That's right! Tell it, Calem!" Miette boasted, wrapping her arms around Calem's arm.<br/>"Get your skanky arms away from my Cay-Cay!" Delia screamed. <br/>"No way! Once we're married, he'll forever be my Calem-Walem!" Miette yelled.<br/>"Ew! Don't call my brother that! That's just wrong!" Dawn shouted.<br/>"Piplup!" Piplup shouted. <br/>"Well, I don't know. I can think of a few girls in high school who called him nicknames that are much stupider than that," Grandpa Ramos muttered with a shrug. <br/>"I don't care what you call my boy! Your prissy bottom is never going to marry him!" Delia screamed. <br/>"Oh, what are you going to do, grandma? Wave your finger at me to death?" Miette asked. <br/>Delia let out a bloodthirsty scream and charged at Miette, with Mimey and Dawn holding her back. Miette continued to mock Delia while Calem and Pierre argued. Grandpa Ramos and Piplup cheered Delia on, with the former encouraging the auburn-haired woman to rip Miette's hair off. The priest huffed again and walked to the exit closest to the stage. <br/>Serena watched the fight go on for a few seconds before her eyes turned to Ash. The raven-haired man looked at her, disheartened with being lied to, while Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder to look at Serena, saddened. Serena sighed, wishing there was a way to undo how she hurt Ash's feelings. She turned to Iris, who flicked her hands, telling her to leave. She then turned to Sonia, who was still sitting down. The peach-haired woman gave her a sad look and gave Serena a low wave, accepting that it was goodbye. Serena felt tears in her eyes again as she waved back and took her coat. <br/>"Come on, Fennekin. Let's go home."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as she entered the apartment with Fennekin, Serena walked to the bedroom to plop onto her bed front first and covered her head with her pillow. With her blanket covering her mouth, she cried, letting out how she lost the family she grew to love and who loved her back, how she hurt them by letting the facade go on as long as she did, but most all, she wept over how she lost Ash. <br/>She looked back on the time she spent with him and thought of ways she could have told him earlier. Her first thought was telling him when they were first in Calem's apartment instead of relying so much on luck. Her second idea was telling him when he came to her apartment to apologize or share her secret when he confessed to being a Pokemon trainer. Maybe when Sonia told Serena that she found out and that she shouldn't tell the family anything, Serena would have requested that Sonia at least helped her tell Ash. Better yet, she should have told the family straight out when she had the chance the day Calem fell, and they would invite her to Christmas anyway for saving his life, and she would have Ash that way. Anything that would have kept him from finding out right as she was about to marry his brother. <br/>But she didn't do any of those things. She played along to the very end. She let her desires for a family and a man offering everything she ever wanted to get the better of her, and she paid the price for it. She accepted that she will never see Ash, or Delia, or Mimey, Dawn, Piplup, Grandpa Ramos, or Sonia ever again. There's nothing left but her everyday life with Fennekin and her job as a token fare conductor. She had her week and a half of happiness, but now it was time to face reality. <br/>Fennekin hopped onto the bed and walked over to lick Serena's hand. Serena lifted her pillow from her face to look at her Pokemon, her eyes pink from crying. The fox Pokemon walked over to sit beside her, cuddled up in a ball. Serena half-smiled and pulled Fennekin closer to her for a hug. <br/>The honey blonde woman and her Pokemon continued to lie down on the bed for a few hours, eventually falling asleep. When Serena woke up, it was late in the afternoon, and she felt hungry.<br/>"That's right. We didn't get a chance to eat before we left," she thought. <br/>Serena got up and changed from her wedding dress to a pink sweater and gray sweatpants. She went into the kitchen and heated up some leftovers. She poured a bowl of Pokemon food before eating just in time for Fennekin to come in, having woken up. After two of them ate together, with Fennekin sitting on the table while eating its food, Serena sat back on her chair and furrowed her brow, thinking about what to do next.<br/>"Hey, Fennekin, why don't we take down our Christmas tree?" She suggested. "No sense in keeping it up when Christmas is over, and we have nothing else to do."<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin answered. <br/>Serena put the dishes in the sink, and together, she and her Pokemon began taking down the Christmas tree decorations. For the next twenty minutes, they worked together to take down the ornaments and lights and put them back in their boxes. When they were half done, there was a knock on the front door. For a brief moment, Serena dared to hope that Ash or all of the Ketchums were on the other side as she walked down, but her hopes were quickly dashed when she found Tierno instead. The heavy-set man was giving her a nervous smile while scratching the back of his head.<br/>"What do you want, Tierno?" Serena asked, uninterested in seeing him.<br/>Tierno turned his head away for a moment, thinking of what to say before he looked back at Serena.<br/>"Look, uh, my old man found out from someone near the hospital, and, well, I'm sorry that it didn't work out with that guy," he said. "I imagine right now that you're upset and you want some comfort from all of the pain, and…" he snapped his fingers a few times. "Don't go off eating cookie dough and whip cream, and blowing up like my Uncle Robert while watching corny romance movies or something like that, cause you deserve better. Okay?"<br/>Serena kept an unamused look for a few seconds before she smiled. She took a step forward to hug him, and he smiled as he hugged her back. Serena broke the hug and patted Tierno's cheek.<br/>"Thank you. I appreciate the effort," she said.<br/>"You're welcome," Tierno said. "Took me a half hour to practice that with Pop."<br/>Serena snorted out a snicker, and Tierno chuckled with his cheeks turning pink. The two of them were silent for a moment until Serena looked at Tierno with a playful smile. <br/>"So, how are things with you and Cathy from the third-floor?" She asked. <br/>Tierno flinched and shrugged with a "Pfft" and a wave of his hand, trying to act cool. He looked up and pointed at the third-floor above before he suddenly burst into tears hysterically. <br/>"Oh, no. What happened?" Serena asked. <br/>"Nuthun," Tierno sobbed. "We had a nice dinner, she called me cute, I called her pretty, and then the next thing you know, her ex comes running in wanting her back, and…"<br/>Tierno began to cry harder, covering his face with his hands. Serena frowned and pulled him into another hug, patting the back of his head as though she were comforting a child.<br/>"I'm sorry, Tierno," she said. <br/>"I-I-I guess we've both had romance going bad lately, haven't we?" Tierno whined.<br/>"Yeah, I guess we have," Serena said with a sad smile. "Wanna eat some cookie dough? I have plenty of leftover from making Christmas cookies."<br/>"S-s-sure," Tierno said. "You got any whipped cream?"<br/>"No, but I have some leftover frosting. How's that?" Serena asked.<br/>"O-okay," Tierno replied with a sniff.</p><p> </p><p>***********************************</p><p> </p><p>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>It's been a couple of days since the wedding. Iris allowed Serena to go back to work after taking time to recover. Serena was thankful to be working for once because she thought it would keep her occupied, but she came back on a slow day to her disappointment. The first five hours of her eight-hour shift have gone by, and only a little more than a dozen people have come to take the train with their Pokemon. She had started to play with what tokens she had, stacking them, making letters out of them, setting them up in a straight line, anything to occupy herself. Shauna watched her friend worryingly as a couple more people put tokens in the slot under Serena's window, and the honey blonde woman would slide the coins to the counter where her collection was without looking at the passengers.<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>"Serena, are you sure you're okay?" Shauna asked.<br/>Serena didn't respond. She was lost in her own world, playing with the tokens on her counter again. Shauna furrowed her brow and walked over to her from her seat.<br/>"Hey!" Shauna shouted while shaking Serena's arm.<br/>Serena snapped out of her daze, shook her head as though she had fallen asleep, and looked up at Shauna.<br/>"I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Serena asked.<br/>Shauna huffed and said, "Are you sure you're okay? Should you be working again?"<br/>Serena frowned and looked away from her friend, resting her head with her arm.<br/>"What else can I do?" She asked. "I've stayed in my apartment for so long that I'm gonna go crazy if I stay another whole day there. Even Fennekin wants me to go out for my own good."<br/>"But I thought you were in love with that Ash guy," Shauna said. "Shouldn't you be taking at least a week to grieve over losing him?"<br/>"I guess not," Serena answered, still not looking at her friend.<br/>Shauna grew more concerned with how dispirited her friend was. She looked at the look clock to find that it was three minutes past two, and neither of them has gone on their lunch break yet. She put her hand on her chin in thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers.<br/>"Okay, how about this?" She said. "I'm gonna go take my lunch break, and I'll sneak some macaroons on the way back for you. I won't tell Iris if you don't."<br/>Serena was motionless for several seconds, making Shauna uneasy. The honey blonde woman sighed again until she turned her head to look at her friend again with a weak smile. <br/>"Macaroons from Gemma's Bakery off of Dazzle street?" Serena asked. <br/>"The best," Shauna answered.<br/>Serena's smile grew slightly, and said, "Alright. I won't tell Iris."<br/>"That's my girl," Shauna said. "See you in fifteen."<br/>She went out of the booth and happily left the platform. Serena kept her smile for a moment, amused by her friend's enthusiasm before Shauna was out of sight, and her frown returned. She slumped against her chair and started staking the tokens again. Her mind drifted back to her loss of Ash and his family, and she wondered how they were all doing. She lifted her left hand to her face and imagined the wedding ring Calem almost put on her finger.<br/>"Funny," she thought. "All of that attention and none of the Ketchums noticed I didn't have an engagement ring."<br/>Serena briefly chuckled with her mouth closed, thinking about the family's oversight, before she felt gloomy again. She continued to stare at her hand, wishing that she did have an engagement ring on her finger. She let out another heavy sigh as another round of passengers put tokens in her slot. <br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Clank*<br/>*Slide*<br/>*Ding*<br/>Serena made a confused face and turned her head to find a thin, golden ring with a small diamond lying at the center of the slot. Serena stood up from her seat and picked up the ring to check if it was really there before she looked up and gasped.<br/>Standing in front of her window on the opposite side was Ash. He was giving her a warm smile while Pikachu was standing on his shoulder, smiling cutely. She looked past them, and her eyes widened at the sight of Delia, Mimey, Dawn with Piplup in her arms, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos. Everyone in the family was smiling at Serena, with Delia and Dawn trying to control their excitement. Serena covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding the ring, unable to believe that they were all there, showing no contempt against her at all. She turned back to Ash, who opened his mouth before Grandpa Ramos interrupted him.<br/>"Get down on one knee," the old man suggested. <br/>"Grandpa Ramos, Serena can't see Ash if he gets down on one knee," Dawn said.<br/>"So? It's more romantic," Grandpa Ramos said. "Your grandma loved it when I proposed to her."<br/>"Ramos, Ash is proposing, not you. Let him do it," Sonia said.<br/>"I am letting him do it," Grandpa Ramos claimed. <br/>Ash chuckled and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by his family, interrupting the moment. However, Serena moved her hand from her face to show her smiling, accepting that the people she adored were really there. Ash felt comfortable again from how Serena reacted before he moved closer to the window to get Serena's attention.<br/>"Serena, I need to ask you a question," he said.<br/>"Yes, Ash?" Serena asked with goosebumps all over her arms and legs. <br/>"Can I come in?"<br/>Serena's smile faltered, having expected a different question. She then gave Ash a smug look and scratched her chin, pretending to be thinking.<br/>"I'm afraid I can't do that," she said.<br/>Everyone outside of the booth looked at Serena, confused. The honey blonde woman waited a moment to keep them in suspense until she spoke again. <br/>"I can't let anybody in without a token."<br/>It took a second to realize what she said before Sonia, Dawn, and Grandpa Ramos chuckled, and Delia sighed in relief. Ash let a "heh," and shook his head before putting a token in the slot. Serena's smirk turned back into a heartfelt smile as she took the token and pressed the buzzard. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulders just as the raven-haired man went through the gate. Delia, Mimey, Dawn, Piplup Grandpa Ramos, and Sonia moved closer to the window in anticipation. <br/>With the ring still in her hand, Serena turned her chair to the door just in time to see Ash come in. She felt butterflies in her stomach as her ocean blue eyes stared at his brown eyes. Ash leaned his upper body close to her, his hand against the wall behind Serena. Serena's cheeks heated up, finally understanding what Ash said on New Years'. He had accepted that he wanted to be with her. Ash leaned closer until his head was close to Serena's, and her cheeks turned from pink to beet red.<br/>"Hi," he said. <br/>"Hi," Serena said.<br/>"Guess what?" Ash said.<br/>"What?" Serena asked. <br/>"I love you."<br/>Serena's heart skipped a beat, and she beamed, saying, "I love you too."<br/>Ash smirked and took the ring from Serena's hand before holding it up in front of her.<br/>"Marry me?" He asked. <br/>"I will," Serena replied. <br/>Ash gently took Serena's hand and put the ring on her finger. The honey blonde woman felt goosebumps on her body again as she lifted her hand to look at the jewel. She looked back at Ash, and the two of them leaned closer until their lips connected. Delia and Dawn squealed with joy while Mimey, Piplup, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos cheered, but Ash and Serena were too focused on their first kiss to notice. <br/>Serena put her hand wearing the ring on Ash's cheek and started caressing it while they slowly moved their lips against each other. The kissing then sped up, with Serena wrapping her arms around Ash's head and pulling him closer. She didn't care that the family was watching. She wanted to let out how much Ash meant to her. No misunderstandings, no lies, nothing but her feelings made clear and true. Her heart raced when Ash wrapped his free arm around her back to show that her feelings were acknowledged and returned. Eventually, their lips separated, and Serena stood up from her seat so that she and Ash could both be standing with their arms around each other. <br/>"Hey, can we come in yet? We wanna hug too!" Dawn shouted. <br/>Ash and Serena broke their hug, laughing, and Serena pressed the buzzard, saying, "Come in! Come in!"<br/>The family went through the gate while the new couple got out of the token booth. Dawn put Piplup down so that she could hug her future sister-in-law. Grandpa Ramos hugged Serena next, and she and Sonia took a moment to look at each other with warm smiles before they embraced. Mimey, Piplup, and Pikachu ganged up on Serena by hugging her all at once, making the honey blonde woman laugh. When the Pokemon backed away, it was down to Delia, who looked at Serena sweetly before pulling her into a tight hug. Serena felt a tear running down her cheek as she hugged Delia back.<br/>"I'm sorry, Mom," she said. <br/>"It's alright, sweetie," Delia said, petting Serena's head as she hugged her. "We know you didn't mean any harm."<br/>Serena felt as though a great weight was lifted off of her by Delia's forgiveness. The two women broke the hug, and Ash took the opportunity to pull Serena into a side hug.<br/>"So, what happened to Calem?" Serena asked.<br/>In an instant, Delia's face went dark, and she looked down at the ground with a murderous look in her eyes. Serena felt a chill down her spine, and Dawn leaned into her ear, saying, "Let's just say you're still forgiven as long as Calem doesn't get a plus one for your wedding."<br/>"That bad, huh?" Serena asked. <br/>The blunette woman replied with a nod while Delia shook her head and brought back her blissful demeanor.<br/>"Well, nevermind about that," she said. "We have more important things to do, like planning your wedding."<br/>"I agree," Grandpa Ramos said. "And not something so quiet like the last one. You two deserve a real wedding."<br/>"For once, Ramos and I are in agreement," Sonia said. "And Dawn and I will help you get a real wedding dress, Serena."<br/>"Oh, yeah. And I would love to be a bridesmaid this time, please," Dawn said. <br/>"And I insist that you let me plan it," Delia said. "I've been looking forward to this since Christmas Eve, and I want the best for my son and daughter-in-law."<br/>"Mr. Mime," Mimey said.<br/>"Pikachu," Pikachu said.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup chirped.<br/>The more the family talked about the wedding, the more excited Serena became. She turned her head to Ash, who pulled her closer with a toothy grin. <br/>"I guess if Mom is taking care of the planning, then all that's left is the date," Serena said. <br/>"I've been thinking about that, and I think some time in late February would be great," Ash said.<br/>"Why February?" Serena asked.<br/>"Did you forget? The Kalos League is next month," Ash replied. "My Pokemon and I should compete before you and I get married and travel to our honeymoon."<br/>Serena felt butterflies in her stomach again and said, "Yeah, we should talk about where to go for that."<br/>"Oh, that won't be necessary," Ash said.<br/>"Why not?" Serena asked, confused.<br/>Ash turned Serena around so that they were facing each other. He put his hand on her cheek, making her blush again, and said, "It's a surprise."</p><p> </p><p>***********************************************************************************************</p><p>The next several weeks were a time of bliss for Serena. True to their words, Delia worked hard to plan the wedding, and Sonia and Dawn helped Serena pick out her wedding dress with Shauna tagging along. Shauna was still Serena's maid of honor, while Dawn was going to be her other bridesmaid. Pikachu was assigned to be the ringbearer again, and Calem was asked to be Ash's best man, with everyone making it clear that Miette could not come. Calem reluctantly accepted the terms but hoped that the family would eventually accept that he would still marry Miette as soon as she and Pierre were officially divorced.<br/>But when Serena wasn't at work or helping out of planning the wedding, she was spending as much time with her beloved fiance as possible. Ash and Serena started going on dates from going out to dinner, to ice skating, the movies, to anything else Serena wanted to do. Whatever she wanted, Ash was willing to do, knowing it made her happy that she could do those things with the love of her life. When they weren't on dates, they would just go to the outskirts of Lumiose City so that Serena can watch Ash train his Pokemon.<br/>After a month had passed, the Kalos League started. Ash and Pikachu were thrilled beyond expression that they were finally going to compete in a Pokemon League, much to Serena's amusement. The whole family came to watch the tournament and cheer for Ash. Calem brought Miette with him out of hopes that everyone would ease up with her cheering for his brother too. In the end, Ash made it all the way to the finals before he was beaten by a trainer named Alain, but he was happy that he made it so far in his first Pokemon League, and he was thankful that Serena and the family were there to support him all the way.<br/>Two weeks later, it was Ash and Serena's special day. The wedding took place at the Ketchum's church with a different priest officiating the ceremony. Joy, Iris, Cilan, Maynor, Axew, Dratini, Mr. Walken, Emolga, Tierno, Squirtle, and extended members of the Ketchum family were the guests. Delia made sure that Ash and Serena were getting ready at opposite sides of the building to see each other before the ceremony. After Serena put on her wedding dress and looked at herself in the mirror, the honey blonde woman was so excited that Dawn, Shauna, Piplup, and Fennekin struggled to keep her calm. <br/>At the beginning of the ceremony, Grandpa Ramos walked down the aisle with Serena and gave her away. While the priest spoke, Ash and Serena held hands and occasionally glanced at each other, their excitement growing by the second. They said their "I do"s with Serena squeezing Ash's hand hard. The priest then pronounced them man and wife, and Ash lifted the veil covering Serena's face before they had their first kiss as husband and wife. <br/>The reception took place in the church's courtyard. Everyone spent the first half-hour eating and drinking before a DJ named DJ Leo started playing music. Ash and Serena had their first dance with Ash's arms around Serena's waist and Serena's arms around his neck. Soon after, everyone began dancing with Ash dancing with Delia, Serena dancing with Grandpa Ramos, Iris dancing with Cilan, and the Pokemon danced together. Sonia offered Maynor to dance with her, and the young boy shyly agreed, feeling bashful with Sonia's looks despite her age, much to her amusement. Tierno and Squirtle danced by themselves, not knowing that everyone else thought they looked silly, much to his father's embarrassment, but then Joy offered to dance with Tierno, finding his energy on the dancefloor charming. <br/>After an hour, the time had come for everyone to drive to Thom Avenue station, where Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were going to take a train to Lumiose City airport. Before Serena changed into her regular clothes, she tossed the bouquet, and Sonia caught it. The peach-haired woman laughed triumphantly, taking it as a sign that she would find a man who would spend her remaining years with. Everyone carpooled to the train station and went up the platform, where Ash, Serena, and Pikachu began hugging everyone goodbye. <br/>"Be good while Ash and I are away, Fennekin," Serena said as she hugged her little partner.<br/>"Fennekin," Fennekin replied. <br/>"Don't worry, big sister, Fennekin is in good hands," Dawn said while Serena put Fennekin down.<br/>"Piplup," Piplup said, standing next to its partner.<br/>"I'm counting on it, little sister," Serena said as the two women hugged each other tightly.<br/>"I hope you don't forget about little old me while you're away," Grandpa Ramos said before hugging Serena.<br/>"Don't worry, Grandpa Ramos. I could never forget you in a hundred years," Serena replied. "And I want to hear all about the Malie Garden when we get back."<br/>Grandpa Ramos stepped back, feeling bashful from the young woman's compliments. Sonia then stepped in and took a moment for her and Serena to fondly stare at each other before they hugged.<br/>"You better take good care of Ash out there," Sonia said.<br/>"I will," Serena promised. <br/>They broke the hug, and Serena then turned to Delia. The auburn-haired woman was smiling with tears in her eyes as she gave her daughter-in-law the biggest hug she's given her yet.<br/>"Take care, sweetie," she said. "And don't forget to call to let us know how you and Ash are doing. You're a Ketchum now."<br/>"Yes, Mom," Serena said, tearing up as well.<br/>"Serena, the train's here," Ash said.<br/>Serena and Delia broke the hug and turned their head to see that the train was coming. The women took a moment to hug again before Serena stood next to Ash, who had Pikachu on his shoulder. As the train arrived, however, Serena felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see that it was Calem.<br/>"Serena, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked. <br/>"Sure, Calem," Serena answered. <br/>Calem and Serena walked a few feet away from every one, with Ash watching. He saw Calem whispering something into Serena's ear, and she smiled before she whispered back to him. Calem looked at her, confused for a moment before he smiled, satisfied with what Serena said. The two of them hugged, and Serena walked back to Ash's side just in time for the train to stop in front of them. <br/>As the doors opened and the couple stepped in with Pikachu, everyone said one last goodbye before the doors closed, and the train began moving again. Ash and Serena sat down, and Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder to sit next to them. Serena lifted her hand to look at the golden band on her finger until she felt Ash's arm around her shoulder. <br/>"Happy, Mrs. Ketchum?" He asked. <br/>Serena turned to her husband and said with a smile, "Very. Although I still would like to know where we're going."<br/>Ash smirked and said, "I was hoping you'd say that."<br/>He reached inside his coat and took out two plane tickets. He handed them to Serena, and she looked to see that they were tickets to the Sinnoh region.<br/>"What made you decide for us to go there?" She asked.<br/>Ash's smirk turned into a toothy grin, and said, "Well, I had to pick a place where we can travel while I collect badges to compete in another Pokemon League, and I discovered that the Sinnoh League takes place in Lily of the Valley Island where your mom won the Grand Prix. So, I thought we will spend our honeymoon at Oreburgh City, where I'll collect my first Sinnoh gym badge, and then travel our way to Lily of the Valley Island, where I'll compete in the Pokemon League, and then we'll get to see the stadium where your mom competed. Sounds like a perfect place for the first stamp on your passport, don't you think?"<br/>Serena stared at Ash with her heart melting before she smiled and pulled him into a firm kiss that he returned. When they parted, Serena looked at her husband lovingly with her hands on his cheeks.<br/>"Yes, I think that's perfect," she replied. "And we'll see so many new things and meet all kinds of people and Pokemon along the way. Right, Pikachu?"<br/>"Pikachu!" Pikachu replied cheerfully.<br/>Ash gave his wife another toothy grin, pleased with her reaction. <br/>"I thought so," he said. "By the way, what did Calem say to you?"<br/>Serena's smile grew, and she said, "He asked me when it was that I started falling in love with you."<br/>"Oh, yeah? What did you tell him?" Ash asked. <br/>Serena gave Ash another loving look, and with her hands still on his cheeks, she pulled him into a soft, tender kiss. When she parted, she wrapped her arms around Ash's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling with her eyes closed as she answered his question. <br/>"I told him, 'it was while you were sleeping.'"</p><p> </p><p>The end</p>
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